Loudoun County, VA Ordinances (2026)

A Short-Term Rental, Residential Accessory use in unincorporated Loudoun County, renting a room or portion of your home while you still live there, is capped at 180 days per calendar…

In unincorporated Loudoun County, a Short-Term Rental, Residential Accessory operator must live in the rented dwelling at least 185 days a year. The rule is tied to the Zoning Permit…

A Loudoun County short-term rental operator hit with two or more written violation notices for failing to register a property can be barred from re-registering that property for one…

In unincorporated Loudoun County, a Short-Term Rental, Commercial Whole House use caps overnight guests at 10 per parcel with 5 rentable guest rooms, while a Residential Accessory…

A Loudoun County rental of 30 or more consecutive days falls outside the short-term rental definitions entirely: the Zoning Ordinance's Chapter 12 definitions only capture stays of…

To run a Short-Term Rental, Residential Accessory use, renting a room or part of your Loudoun County home, the operator must actually live in that dwelling at least 185 days out of the…

Anyone renting a Loudoun County home outside the incorporated towns for stays under 30 days must annually register the property with the Department of Building and Development under…

A Loudoun County short-term rental must provide 1 off-street parking space beyond whatever the dwelling already requires under Section 7.06, on-street parking normally doesn't count…

In Loudoun County's Agricultural Rural-1 (AR-1) Zoning District, maximum lot coverage is capped at 25 percent under the Base Density Division Option, but only 10 percent of that may be…

Loudoun County caps building height at 35 ft in the Agricultural Rural-1 (AR-1) Zoning District, the same limit across all three AR-1 development options. Height is measured from…

In the unincorporated Rural Policy Area of Loudoun County, the Agricultural Rural-1 (AR-1) Zoning District sets minimum yard setbacks by development option. Under the Base Density…

Loudoun County treats rodent or insect infestation and conditions that create rodent harborage as a public-health nuisance under Chapter 648. The Director of Public Health or County…

Unincorporated Loudoun County requires a plumbing permit before any installation, alteration or repair of a water, sewer, or fixture system: the Department of Building and Development…

Unincorporated Loudoun County requires an electrical permit for new service, sub-panels, wiring or fixtures before work begins, issued by the Building Official under Chapter 1410's…

Unincorporated Loudoun County requires a building permit for construction, alteration, repair, removal or demolition of a building or structure under Chapter 1410, which adopts the…

Loudoun County's Department of Building and Development, through its Building Official and Building Maintenance Official, enforces the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code under §…

Every floor of a Loudoun County short-term rental must have at least one working carbon monoxide detector, alongside an interconnected smoke detector in each overnight-accommodation…

Loudoun County requires any Child Day Center to hold a Zoning Permit, a County Business License, and a State Child Day Center License before opening, per Zoning Ordinance Section…

A Child Day Home in unincorporated Loudoun County must be the provider's principal residence, may care for no more than 12 children under 13, and can only operate 6 a.m. to 7 p.m…

Running a home-based business in unincorporated Loudoun County requires a Zoning Permit under Zoning Ordinance Section 3.03.E before you start. The use must stay clearly incidental to…

Client and delivery traffic to a Loudoun County home occupation is capped at 10 extra vehicle trips a day. Section 3.03.E.7 of the Zoning Ordinance limits the use to "10 additional…

A Loudoun County home occupation cannot advertise itself with any visible signage beyond what Chapter 8 already allows a residential lot. Section 3.03.E.5 of the Zoning Ordinance bars…

In Loudoun County's Agricultural Rural (AR) zoning districts, veterinary services cannot locate on Residential Cluster Lots or Common Open Space Lots within an approved Cluster…

Loudoun County doesn't license or leash cats the way it does dogs, but Section 612.18(f) requires every domesticated cat over four months old to carry a current rabies vaccination…

Loudoun County doesn't ban retail pet sales outright, but Section 612.27 requires every pet shop or companion-animal dealer to hold an annual $50 permit from the county, pass a…

Section 612.29 bans keeping, breeding or possessing any live wild or exotic animal in Loudoun County, with narrow carve-outs for schools, licensed rehabilitators and vets, and lets…

Loudoun's Zoning Ordinance defines chickens and other poultry as "livestock," so keeping them as Animal Husbandry requires at least 5 acres, or a County-approved Conservation Farm Plan…

Loudoun Zoning permits beekeeping in AR, TR, and most residential zones subject to setback rules. VDACS registration required under VA §3.2-4400. County is home to active beekeeper…

Loudoun County does not ban specific breeds. Virginia does not preempt local BSL but Loudoun uses a behavior-based dangerous dog framework under VA §3.2-6540.

Loudoun Chapter 612 requires dogs on leash (max 6 ft) in public areas except at designated off-leash parks (Brambleton, Ashburn, Franklin). VA §3.2-6538 governs dogs running at large.

Loudoun County treats rooftop and ground-mounted home solar arrays as a site-specific accessory use under Zoning Ordinance Section 4.07.06.C. Panels may go on the roof or on the…

Every building with a dwelling unit, plus hotels, motels, and rooming houses in Loudoun County, must have smoke detectors installed under Fire Prevention Code § 1602.07, authorized by…

Loudoun County's Fire Prevention Operational Permit Fee Schedule sets the residential propane threshold at 500 gallons water capacity: a single container that size or smaller serving a…

Loudoun County bans general open burning from May 1 through September 30, but its Fire Prevention Code carves out an exception for campfires kept at least 50 feet from a structure…

Loudoun prohibits open burning of trash, construction debris, and yard waste within 300 feet of occupied buildings. VA 4 PM Law applies Feb 15 to Apr 30. Burn permit required from VDOF…

Virginia legalized consumer fireworks in 2021 (HB 2201, VA Code §27-97). Loudoun County may restrict discharge hours and locations.

Inside Loudoun County's Limestone Overlay District, Zoning Ordinance § 5.05.F.I bans irrigation systems fed by groundwater. Builders and homeowners in the mapped karst terrain must…

Loudoun County's Zoning Ordinance requires that at least 80% of the plant units in a required landscape buffer or road corridor buffer consist of native species. The rule applies to…

Loudoun County exempts small-scale yard-waste composting from its solid-waste facility permit rules: a property owner may accept off-site yard waste to compost without a permit if the…

Loudoun County's Water Supply Emergency Ordinance lets the County Administrator set mandatory outdoor watering days once Loudoun Water declares a shortage. Under Warning Stage rules…

Nonresidential projects inside Loudoun's Mountainside Overlay District must submit a Tree Cover Inventory, Tree Conservation and Landscape Plan, and Invasive Species Management Plan…

Loudoun County declares Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense) a public nuisance under Codified Ordinances Chapter 690. Landowners may not let it set seed, import it, or transport, sell, or…

When a development inside Loudoun County's Limestone Overlay District triggers mitigation under Zoning Ordinance § 5.05.L, the County can require builders to shrink lawn area and…

In unincorporated Loudoun County, a Vehicle Wholesale Auction site must wash any vehicles on-site with recycled water rather than potable water, one of eight Site Development Criteria…

In unincorporated Loudoun County, window signs are allowed in addition to wall signs, but only on the first story or street level of a building: never above. Zoning Ordinance Section…

Garage sale signs in unincorporated Loudoun County fall under the Zoning Ordinance's Temporary Sign standard, Section 8.06.D. A Sign Permit is required, valid for 120 days within any…

Loudoun County bans stand-alone off-premise signs outright under Zoning Ordinance Section 8.03.A.2, so third-party digital billboards aren't a permitted use in the unincorporated…

Loudoun County zones political yard signs as Temporary Signs, and the Zoning Ordinance requires a Sign Permit before one goes up. Temporary Signs top out at 32 square feet and 8 feet…

Loudoun County exempts temporary seasonal and holiday lighting outright from its outdoor Light and Glare standards, so string lights and illuminated yard displays don't have to meet…

Loudoun County has no standalone massage-parlor license. Codified Ordinances Chapter 820, Massage Regulation, was repealed by Ordinance 18-01 in 2018. Today the only local control sits…

Loudoun County requires any retail store selling cigarettes to be a properly registered and licensed dealer, buying stock only from a registered agent of the Northern Virginia…

Loudoun County caps pawnshops at eight countywide, including any inside Leesburg or the other incorporated towns, and requires every pawnbroker to hold a Sheriff-issued license backed…

Any Loudoun County business that resells used electronics, GPS units, musical instruments, power tools, small appliances, or televisions is a 'secondhand article dealer' under county…

Loudoun County's Zoning Ordinance directly adopts International Dark-Sky Association standards for outdoor lighting: full-cutoff fixtures verified by an IDA Fixture Seal of Approval, a…

Any outdoor security light installed in Loudoun County must be full cutoff, aimed downward and inward, and capped at 0.25 foot-candles of spillover measured at the property line, under…

In unincorporated Loudoun County, a fence or wall in a residential front yard cannot exceed 3.5 feet, per Zoning Ordinance §7.01.04.B.1.a. Elsewhere on a residential lot fences and…

Loudoun County's Zoning Ordinance exempts ordinary fences from the Zoning Permit that most other structures need before construction. A fence built in the unincorporated county does…

Loudoun County's only adopted fence ordinance, Section 618.01, invokes Virginia's local-option fence law: it declares the boundary line of every lot or tract in the county a lawful…

A carport in unincorporated Loudoun County counts as a non-habitable accessory structure under the Zoning Ordinance's definition: a roofed space outside a building used to shelter…

Loudoun County caps accessory dwellings at 1,200 to 2,500 square feet depending on zoning district under Section 4.02.01, limits most lots to a single unit, and only allows a second on…

Loudoun County limits how RVs, boats, and travel trailers sit on residential lots. Under Zoning Ordinance Section 7.06.07.C.3, 'Major Recreational Equipment' can't be parked or stored…

Single-family detached homes in Loudoun County's Suburban Zoning Districts must park vehicles on a paved surface, asphalt, concrete, brick, stone, gravel, or grasscrete all qualify…

Loudoun County requires EV charging infrastructure only when a development triggers a parking adjustment, sits in an Urban, Suburban, or Office and Industrial district, and adds at…

Loudoun County ties commercial loading space counts directly to gross floor area under Table 7.06.09-1: none required under 10,000 square feet, one space up to 75,000 square feet, two…

Loudoun County creates Residential Permit Parking Districts under Chapter 490 to restrict on-street parking in neighborhoods overrun by commuter or event traffic. Residents petition…

Loudoun County bans most oversized and commercial vehicles from parking in residential neighborhoods within Urban and Suburban Zoning Districts. Section 7.06.07 defines oversized…

Overnight parking in Loudoun County's own parking garages and surface lots is prohibited except for County employees and officials on County business, and even then only with a posted…

Loudoun County bars keeping an inoperable vehicle in plain view on residential, agricultural or commercial land unless it's fully enclosed or screened, and lets the Sheriff impound…

Loudoun County bans parking within 20 feet of a curbed intersection, blocking driveways, parking facing traffic on the left side of the road, and 11 other specified spots under Traffic…

Loudoun County runs a Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Program requiring a Land Disturbance Permit, and often an approved Erosion & Sediment Control Plan or Stormwater…

Any land-disturbing activity in Loudoun County needs a Land Disturbance Permit and an approved Erosion and Sediment Control Plan before work starts, with a full VESMP stormwater permit…

Loudoun's Floodplain Overlay District locks down every parcel mapped in the FEMA-based floodplain, permitting only the specific uses listed in Zoning Ordinance §§ 5.03.E and 5.03.F…

New or substantially improved homes in Loudoun's Major Floodplain must have their lowest floor, including the basement, elevated to or above base flood elevation, with a 1-foot…

Loudoun County's Zoning Ordinance bars planting any Invasive Plant species within the buffers, road corridor buffers, and parking-lot screening required on an approved landscape plan…

Loudoun County requires owners of "running bamboo", spreading species like Phyllostachys, to keep it properly maintained and contained with barriers or trenching, and bars it from…

Loudoun County requires municipal solid waste to be kept in durable, leak-proof storage containers of 10 to 32 gallons (unless mechanically lifted), with lids that fit tightly and no…

Loudoun County requires every household and business in the unincorporated county to source-separate at least newspaper, container glass, metal and plastic containers, and cardboard…

Loudoun County bans open dumping outright: no person may dispose of solid waste in an open dump, and no owner may cause, suffer, allow or permit open dumping on property they control…

Loudoun County's Zoning Ordinance requires dumpsters, dumpster pads, and other refuse-collection areas to be screened from view at ground level from public roads and adjoining parcels…

In unincorporated Loudoun County, municipal solid waste must be collected and hauled to an approved disposal site at least once every two weeks. Hotels, restaurants, institutions…

Loudoun County's Solid Waste Storage Ordinance requires municipal solid waste to be collected and hauled to an approved disposal site at least once every two weeks, but the Health…

Loudoun County sorts every business into a licensed category under Chapter 840 of the County Code, and the rate you owe depends entirely on which bucket you land in. Amusements pay 21…

Loudoun County levies a 5% transient occupancy tax on the room charge paid by any transient who stays 29 consecutive days or less at a hotel, motel, tourist home, rooming house, or…

Loudoun County bans skateboarding, in-line skating, and any other recreational activity in County-owned and school parking garages and surface lots. The County Administrator posts the…

Loudoun County bans loitering in public places, or places open to the public, that interferes with pedestrian or vehicle traffic, threatens or harasses others, or signals a breach of…

Loudoun County's noise ordinance bars any sound audible and discernible inside a neighbor's closed residence at any hour, and layers on specific nighttime curfews: refuse collection…

Loudoun County bans tire-spinning, engine-racing and unmuffled exhausts on motor vehicles under its noise ordinance, and caps horn or alarm sounding at 20 consecutive seconds: after…

Loudoun County bans construction, demolition, and maintenance work that produces sound between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays, and until 9 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and federal…

Loudoun County's animal-noise ordinance, Section 612.19(a)(5), makes it unlawful to own or harbor an animal that howls, barks or makes other sounds audible in a neighbor's home for ten…

Loudoun County bars running power lawn or landscaping equipment, including leaf blowers, between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. under its noise ordinance. Golf courses get a wider window, from 5:30…

Loudoun County bans outdoor music after 11:00 p.m. on any use governed by the Zoning Ordinance's use-specific noise standards, under Section 7.05.03.F.3. The curfew sits alongside a…

Loudoun County's Zoning Ordinance sets four round-the-clock noise ceilings in Table 7.05.03-1: 60 dB(A) for mixed-use residential, 55 dB(A) for residential and rural economy uses, 65…

Loudoun's Airport Impact Overlay District bars new homes inside the Ldn 65 aircraft-noise contour around Dulles and Leesburg Municipal Airport, and forces acoustical treatment holding…

Loudoun County lets developers build up to 20% more units than base zoning allows if they provide Affordable Dwelling Units (ADUs) for moderate-income buyers and renters. The optional…

Loudoun County requires record plats and deeds for Rural Hamlet subdivisions in the A-3 and A-10 districts to carry a written statement that agricultural operations enjoy protection…

Land in Loudoun County's Agricultural Rural-1 (AR-1) Zoning District is designated an agricultural district, and every subdivision plat and deed created there must carry a written…

Loudoun County's Fire Prevention Code bars open-flame grills, hibachis, gas grills, manufactured fireplaces and firepits within 15 feet of any apartment building, condominium…

Chapter 648 lets the County Administrator or the Director of Public Health order a property owner to abate any nuisance, from unsanitary trash and rodent harborage to a dangerously…

Anyone going door to door in unincorporated Loudoun County to sell goods or take orders, a peddler, solicitor, or canvasser, must register with the County Sheriff before knocking on a…

Loudoun County does not maintain a central no-knock registry, but residents can post 'No Soliciting' or 'No Trespassing' signs that are legally enforceable under VA Code §18.2-119…

Loudoun County does not require a peddler, pawnbroker, secondhand-dealer, or precious-metals permit for a yard sale on your own residential property. The county's licensing chapter…

Loudoun County's Zoning Ordinance requires street trees along road frontages in most residential and mixed-use zoning districts whenever a Road Corridor Buffer isn't triggered…

A County Zoning Permit for a short-term rental does not override an HOA's or condo association's covenants: the County says its approval doesn't 'abrogate, annul, or otherwise…

Virginia provides multiple dispute resolution paths for HOA conflicts under the POA Act. The Common Interest Community Board (CICB) offers a complaint process for regulatory…

Ashburn and most of Loudoun County are governed by HOAs under the Virginia Property Owners' Association Act (VA Code §55.1-1800 et seq.). Board meetings must be open to all members…

Most Ashburn communities require Architectural Review Committee (ARC) approval before exterior modifications. Under VA Code §55.1-1811, HOAs may establish and enforce design…

HOA assessments in Ashburn are governed by VA Code §55.1-1815. Associations must provide annual budgets and may levy regular and special assessments as authorized by the declaration…

Loudoun County limits mobile food vendors to 3 per site at a time and dictates exactly where on the lot they can park. Section 3.03.H.2 caps most locations at 3 simultaneous vendors…

Mobile food vendors operating on private property in unincorporated Loudoun County need a County business license and Health Department approval before they can sell. Section 3.03.H of…

Loudoun County caps mobile food and merchandise carts at 3 per site under Zoning Ordinance Section 3.03.H, bars amplified sound, and requires a County transient business license plus…

Loudoun County parks are customarily open from sunrise to sunset unless the Department of Parks and Recreation posts different hours. Entering or remaining in a park outside posted…

Loudoun County requires a permit for parades and other public gatherings of more than 75 people on county parks, recreation areas, or outdoor areas next to community centers…

Loudoun County requires a temporary Zoning Permit for carnivals, festivals, and similar special events under Zoning Ordinance Section 3.04.E. Approved events run no more than 14…

Anyone sponsoring a public gathering of more than 75 people in a Loudoun County park or adjacent community-center area must get a permit from the County Administrator at least seven…

Inside Loudoun's designated Historic Overlay Districts, you cannot erect, alter, move, or demolish a structure, wall, fence, gate, sign, or paved area without the Historic District…

Home cannabis cultivation is legal in Loudoun County under Virginia state law (VA Code §4.1-1101): adults 21+ may grow up to 4 plants per household (not per person). Plants must be out…

Loudoun County Code Chapter 838 requires every public swimming pool to carry anti-entrapment main drain covers and a six-foot, non-climbable perimeter barrier, and puts the Loudoun…

Data centers in Loudoun County must not exceed 55 dB(A) at the property line of any adjacent lot that permits a single-family home, measured at all hours. Applicants file pre- and…

Data centers in Loudoun County require Special Exception approval countywide since March 2025, ending by-right development. In industrial districts, structures must sit at least 200…

In unincorporated Loudoun County, the occupant, owner, or other person in charge of a property must clear snow and ice from any publicly owned or maintained sidewalk adjoining that…

Loudoun County makes it unlawful to unreasonably or unnecessarily block the free passage of others in any public place, including a sidewalk, or on private property open to the public…

Loudoun County bans sounding a vehicle horn, signaling device, or alarm on any street or public place for more than twenty consecutive seconds, whether continuous or intermittent…

Loudoun County's noise ordinance exempts sound from power generators run during power outages and other emergencies, so a backup generator keeping the lights on after a storm doesn't…