Short-Term Rentals in Roanoke County, VA (2026)
2 rules for unincorporated Roanoke County, Virginia.
Verified from official government sources
Short-Term Rental Permits
Renting out a room or an entire home short-term in Roanoke County (outside the cities of Roanoke and Salem) requires a zoning permit before the first guest ever checks in. In the R-1 and R-2 residential districts, a short-term rental on a lot under five acres also needs a special use permit; only lots of five acres or more qualify by right.
Short-Term Rental Permit Rules Roanoke County
Significant RestrictionsRoanoke County Code § 30-85-24.55(A)1-3, (B)1
(A)General standards:1.The applicant shall obtain a zoning permit prior to the occupation of a room or dwelling for short-term rental. The zoning permit application shall include, but not be limited to, the following information:a.All relevant parcel information including tax map number, zoning district, address, and magisterial district.b.The applicant's name, address, and personal contact inf...
Taxes & Fees
Roanoke County's transient occupancy tax reaches short-term rentals booked through a platform: County Code Sec. 21-201 defines 'hotel' broadly and taxes any 'accommodations intermediary' that charges a room fee, so a host or booking site collects and remits the same tax owed by hotels.
Roanoke County Short-Term Rental Occupancy Tax
Some RestrictionsRoanoke County Code § 21-201(c), (k)
(c)Hotel. "Hotel" includes, but is not limited to, any structure, or any portion of any structure, which is occupied or intended or designed for occupancy by transients for dwelling, lodging or sleeping purposes, and includes any public or private hotel, inn, tourist home or house, motel, house, boarding house, dormitory, public or private club, apartment hotel, hostelry, mobile house or house ...
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