Local rules and regulations for Norfolk City, Virginia. Population: 238,005.
Verified from official government sources
Select a topic to see Norfolk City's rules on that subject.
Norfolk vacation rentals must provide off-street parking per the zoning table, and lacking the required spaces forces a Conditional Use Permit instead of a by-right zoning permit.
Unlike many Virginia localities, Norfolk mandates insurance: vacation-rental operators must show premises liability coverage for guest injury of at least $1,000,000 before operating.
Norfolk regulates short-term rentals through its Zoning Ordinance. Every rental needs a Zoning Permit (or a Conditional Use Permit) plus a Business License; Virginia Code §15.2-983…
Norfolk short-term rental guests must follow the Chapter 26 noise ordinance, and vacation-rental operators must keep interior decibel meters in main gathering rooms to catch excessive…
Norfolk caps a vacation rental at two guests per bedroom, no more than ten guests total, in no more than five bedrooms. Homes with over five bedrooms cannot be vacation rentals.
A Norfolk short-term rental collects a 9% transient occupancy tax (8% city plus 1% state) and a flat $3 per bedroom per night, remitted monthly to the City Treasurer.
Norfolk requires vehicles to be parked on an approved paved surface, not the front lawn, and never blocking a public sidewalk or right-of-way. New driveways and curb cuts need city…
Norfolk permits home EV chargers with an electrical permit for the 240-volt circuit and follows the Virginia building code. State law limits how much a community association can…
Norfolk restricts parking of buses, trucks, semitrailers, and other large commercial vehicles in residence districts and on residential streets under City Code 25-293, protecting…
Norfolk has no blanket overnight street-parking ban, but permit districts, posted no-overnight zones, and time limits apply. Storing a vehicle in one spot too long invites…
Street parking is free in most Norfolk neighborhoods but tightly managed downtown and in residential permit districts like Ghent, Downtown, and Lambert's Point. No parking within 15…
Norfolk tags and removes abandoned vehicles. Under Virginia law a vehicle left on a public street, or on private property without consent, for more than 48 hours can be treated as…
Norfolk bars recreational vehicles, boats, watercraft, and trailers from front yards, streets, and rights-of-way in residence districts. Side-yard storage over six feet tall and…
Norfolk's zoning ordinance limits fence materials to wood, chain-link, PVC or resin, stone or masonry, and ornamental metal. Barbed and razor wire are barred in residential zones, and…
Virginia has no law forcing neighbors to share the cost of a boundary fence, so cost-splitting in Norfolk is voluntary. A fence built only to spite an adjoining owner is a common-law…
Norfolk issues no building permit for an ordinary residential fence, but a zoning certificate is required before installing a fence on a corner lot, and fences in historic districts…
Norfolk requires a building permit for a retaining wall over four feet tall, measured from the bottom of the footing, and taller or surcharged walls need an engineer's stamped design…
Norfolk's zoning ordinance caps fences at four feet in the required front yard, eight feet in rear and side yards behind the front building wall, and six feet in a corner lot's…
Every residential pool in Norfolk must be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high with a self-closing, self-latching gate, under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code. A…
Norfolk has no wildfire defensible-space mandate. Overgrown brush, weeds, and vegetation are handled as property-maintenance nuisances by Code Enforcement, which can order abatement…
Norfolk allows contained recreational fires in a commercially made fire pit or chiminea covered by a quarter-inch metal spark screen and kept at least 15 feet from any structure.
Norfolk maps no wildfire hazard zones and imposes no defensible-space mandate. As a dense, flat coastal city its fire risk is structural and urban, not wildland, so no clearance or…
All consumer fireworks are illegal in Norfolk. Possession or use is prohibited citywide except displays approved by permit from the fire official, including sparklers, fountains, and…
Norfolk prohibits open burning of rubbish, yard waste, leaves, and wire insulation. Virginia's 4 PM Burning Law adds a statewide spring restriction near woodland. Only contained…
Rainwater harvesting is allowed in Norfolk. Virginia places no meaningful limit on residential rain collection, and the state and city encourage rain barrels and cisterns to slow…
Norfolk's nuisance code (Chapter 27) treats grass, weeds, and vegetable matter grown over 12 inches as a nuisance the owner must cut. Enforcement runs through code enforcement and is…
Norfolk has no ordinance banning artificial turf on a home lawn, but it counts toward lot-coverage and stormwater rules. In flood-prone Norfolk, drainage and impervious-surface limits…
Norfolk's Department of Utilities runs the water system and sets any watering limits. Current status is voluntary conservation aligned with Virginia DEQ drought advisories; the…
Norfolk places no restriction on native or drought-tolerant landscaping; residents may replace lawn with native beds and pollinator gardens. The city and Virginia encourage native…
Pruning a tree on your own Norfolk lot needs no permit. But the bureau of parks and forestry holds control over street trees and the curb strip, so any work on or near a city tree…
A tree entirely on your Norfolk yard can generally be removed without a city permit. City trees, the curb strip, and Resource Protection Area buffers along the Elizabeth River are the…
Norfolk enforces overgrowth through its Chapter 27 nuisance code, authorized by Virginia Code Sec. 15.2-901. Owners must clear weeds and vegetable matter over 12 inches from lots and…
Keeping honey bees is lawful in Norfolk, and Virginia requires no permit or mandatory registration to keep hives. State oversight under the Virginia Bee Law applies mainly to moving or…
Virginia bars feeding bears and restricts deer feeding, and Norfolk can act on feeding that creates a nuisance. Leaving pet food or unsecured trash outdoors counts as unintentional…
Norfolk and Virginia restrict keeping wild and exotic animals. The Department of Wildlife Resources requires permits to possess native wildlife, and dangerous exotics like big cats and…
Norfolk cannot ban any dog breed. Virginia law bars localities from prohibiting a particular breed, and no dog may be found dangerous or vicious solely because of its breed. Regulation…
Norfolk requires dogs to be under immediate leashed or lead control off the owner's property, and Virginia Code Section 3.2-6538 lets localities prohibit dogs running at large. Rabies…
Norfolk bans livestock and all poultry except chickens, and even hens need a permit from the Department of Public Health. A permitted lot may keep up to six hens, no roosters, on at…
Norfolk requires tree planting and replacement mainly through development and street-tree rules, not for homeowners removing a yard tree. New subdivisions and site plans must provide…
Norfolk's tree permit applies to city trees, not private yard trees. Under Chapter 45 the bureau of parks and forestry controls street and public trees, and a permit is required for…
Virginia designates no statewide heritage trees, and Norfolk keeps no formal private heritage-tree registry. Notable trees are protected mainly as city trees under Chapter 45 and…
Norfolk bars all exterior evidence of a home occupation. The Zoning Ordinance allows no sign, no exterior display, and no outside storage that would signal a business operating from a…
A Norfolk home occupation must not draw customer traffic or deliveries beyond ordinary residential levels. The Zoning Ordinance limits merchandise deliveries to the everyday carriers…
Virginia licenses family day homes serving five to twelve children through the Department of Education, while a home caring for four or fewer is exempt. State law makes a home serving…
Norfolk permits a home occupation as an accessory use in any zoning district, but it must stay clearly subordinate to the residence and occupy no more than 25 percent of the dwelling's…
Virginia's home food exemption lets Norfolk residents make and sell shelf-stable foods like baked goods, jams, and candy from a home kitchen without a state food-establishment permit…
Norfolk runs a Food Truck Vendor Program requiring a city business license, a Norfolk health permit, a fire marshal inspection and decal, and a vendor parking permit before a truck can…
Norfolk lets the city manager designate parking spaces in the public right-of-way where food trucks may sell. Trucks must stay clear of intersections, crosswalks, driveways, bus stops…
Norfolk requires door-to-door sellers to hold a peddler's permit and a city business license. Commercial peddlers register with the city and the Commissioner of the Revenue, while…
Norfolk has no citywide do-not-knock registry. Residents rely on posted no-soliciting signs, which Virginia trespass law makes enforceable: a seller who ignores a clearly posted sign…
Norfolk permits accessory dwelling units. On single-family lots of 6,000 square feet or more (SF-6 and larger), an ADU is allowed by right, capped at 800 square feet, one per lot.
Converting a Norfolk garage into living space requires a building permit and must meet Virginia USBC habitable-room standards: egress, insulation, HVAC, and electrical. Lost off-street…
In Norfolk, a detached accessory structure of 256 square feet or smaller needs only a zoning certificate, not a building permit. Anything larger, or attached to the house, requires a…
In Norfolk, a tiny home on a permanent foundation is treated as a dwelling and must meet building code; the ADU rules offer the main path for a small second home on a lot.
A freestanding carport 256 square feet or smaller can be approved in Norfolk with a zoning certificate; a larger carport, or one attached to the house, needs a building permit.
Every residential pool in Norfolk must be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high with self-closing, self-latching gates. Height is measured on the side of the barrier facing…
Norfolk requires an electrical permit for a hot tub's 240-volt circuit, plus a barrier or a listed lockable safety cover. GFCI protection is mandatory and drainage cannot run onto…
Norfolk treats above-ground and on-ground pools like in-ground pools: they need permits and a barrier. A pool wall at least 48 inches high can serve as the barrier if access is…
Norfolk pools must meet Virginia USBC and federal VGB Act safety standards: compliant barriers, self-latching gates, anti-entrapment drain covers, and GFCI-protected electrical. All…
Norfolk requires approved construction plans and permits from the Development Services Center before building any residential pool. Standards follow the Virginia Uniform Statewide…
Virginia authorizes no recreational cannabis retail, so no adult-use stores operate in Norfolk. Only state-licensed medical dispensaries may sell cannabis, and Norfolk sits in the…
Virginia law lets adults 21 and older grow cannabis at home. A household may keep up to four plants under Va. Code section 4.1-1101, each tagged, kept out of public view, and secured…
Norfolk's yard sales must not become blight. Merchandise, tables, and signs must be cleared promptly, and unsold goods cannot be left at the curb or in the front yard between sale…
Norfolk enforces the Virginia Maintenance Code and its own nuisance chapter against blight - overgrowth, junk, debris, and deteriorated structures. Owners get written notice and a…
Between collections, Norfolk requires city-issued carts stored five feet behind the building line or screened from view, not left at the curb. Carts return off the curb by 11:30 p.m…
Despite Norfolk's mild Tidewater climate and infrequent snow, the city code is strict when it does fall: owners and occupants must clear snow and ice from adjoining sidewalks within…
Norfolk holds vacant-lot owners to the same upkeep as occupied property: grass and weeds cut below twelve inches, debris removed, and the lot kept free of nuisance. The city can cut…
Commercial drone work in Norfolk runs on FAA 14 CFR Part 107: hold a Remote Pilot Certificate, register the aircraft, fly under 400 feet, and keep visual line of sight. Virginia Code §…
Norfolk cannot regulate your recreational drone. Virginia Code § 15.2-926.3 bars localities from regulating drone flight, leaving federal rules in control: register drones over 250…
Norfolk sets no special yard sale hours ordinance; sales run in daytime like anywhere. Each of the four permitted sales a year should be short, with cleanup the same day, and the…
Norfolk caps yard sales at four per property per calendar year. Since permits were dropped in 2018, this four-sale limit is the main constraint, keeping homes from operating as ongoing…
Norfolk no longer requires a yard sale permit. City Council eliminated the permit requirement effective October 11, 2018, so residents can hold a sale without registering or paying a…
Norfolk caps building height by district in its 2018 Zoning Ordinance under Va. Code § 15.2-2280. Flood elevation matters too: the Coastal Resilience Overlay requires new buildings to…
Norfolk sets front, side, and rear yards through its 2018 form-based Zoning Ordinance (Ord. No. 47,116), not by a single citywide number. Dense districts like Ghent and Downtown carry…
Norfolk limits how much of a lot buildings and paving can cover through its 2018 Zoning Ordinance under Va. Code § 15.2-2280. In a flood-prone coastal city, impervious coverage also…
Virginia has no statewide dark-sky law, so Norfolk's outdoor lighting rules come from its 2018 Zoning Ordinance. New commercial and multifamily projects must use shielded…
Norfolk limits light spilling onto neighboring property through its Zoning Ordinance lighting standards and general nuisance rules. Virginia has no statewide light-trespass statute, so…
Much of low-lying Norfolk sits in FEMA flood zones. New buildings in the flood plain and the Coastal Resilience Overlay must be elevated with the lowest floor at least 3 feet above…
Norfolk is Tidewater Virginia, fully governed by the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act. A 100-foot vegetated Resource Protection Area buffer along tidal waters and wetlands sharply…
Norfolk regulates grading and drainage through its code, the Erosion and Stormwater program, and the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act. Grading may not redirect runoff onto neighbors…
Norfolk requires erosion and sediment control for land-disturbing work. Under the city's Erosion and Stormwater Management program, disturbing 2,500 square feet or more in this…
Norfolk runs a Virginia Stormwater Management Program under Va. Code §62.1-44.15:24. Because the entire city is a Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area, land disturbance of 2,500 square…
Norfolk allows small temporary signs to advertise a yard or garage sale on private property, but bars them from the public right-of-way, utility poles, and traffic signs. Signs go up…
Norfolk lets residents put up holiday decorations on private property without a permit. Displays just cannot block sidewalks or sight lines, create fire or electrical hazards, or…
Norfolk treats political yard signs as temporary signs under its zoning ordinance and cannot regulate their message. Signs are allowed on private property with size limits; placing…
Norfolk prohibits running construction equipment, bulldozers, jackhammers, chain saws and the like between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. The city manager can authorize off-hours work in writing…
Norfolk's 2022 noise rewrite folded animal noise into Chapter 26 and repealed the old dedicated barking section. Barking that is plainly audible inside a neighbor's home, or that…
Norfolk's Chapter 26 noise ordinance, rewritten in 2022, runs a night window from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sound from audio devices may not be plainly audible 100 feet away by day, 50 feet…
Norfolk allows leaf blowers and mowers by day but bans lawn-care noise plainly audible inside a neighbor's home between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. There is no gas-blower ban.
Norfolk bars loudspeakers and amplifiers audible 50 feet away or inside a neighbor's home between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., plus a special limit for Granby Street nightclubs downtown.
Norfolk has no rent control, and it legally cannot enact any. Virginia is a strict Dillon's Rule state, so no locality may cap rent without the General Assembly's permission, which it…
Norfolk runs rental inspection districts under Va. Code 36-105.1:1 and City Code Chapter 36.1. Rental homes in designated older neighborhoods must pass a code inspection and hold a…
Norfolk follows the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, not a local just-cause law. Landlords must give written notice and sue in court; a month-to-month tenancy ends on 30…
Rooftop solar is permitted throughout Norfolk. A homeowner needs a building and electrical permit, licensed installation to the National Electrical Code, and a net-metering…
Virginia law protects Norfolk homeowners from HOA solar bans. Under Va. Code §55.1-1820.1, a community association cannot prohibit rooftop solar on an owner's property unless the…
Norfolk provides every-other-week curbside recycling in a city-issued cart, collected on your trash day. Virginia sets no residential recycling mandate, so it is a city service rather…
Norfolk runs its own municipal collection. City Waste Management crews empty automated trash carts weekly and recycling carts every other week on the same day. Report a missed cart to…
Norfolk collects bulk items by appointment, up to twelve pickups a year and three cubic yards each. Schedule through the MyNorfolk app or Norfolk Cares by 3 p.m. the day before. Tires…
Norfolk requires carts at the curb between 5 p.m. the night before and 7 a.m. on collection day, positioned bar-to-street and wheels-to-house, and set six feet from vehicles, poles…
Norfolk bars anyone under 18 from public places between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. unless with a parent or guardian, under City Code Sec. 29-3. Exceptions cover emergencies, work, and…
Norfolk parks open every day only during posted hours set by the parks director, under City Code Sec. 30-4. Being in a closed park after posted hours is trespassing under Va. Code §…
These cities are located within Norfolk City and may have their own ordinances.
Ordinance data for Norfolk City is sourced from the following official government references. Click any topic above for detailed citations.