Business Licensing & Operations in York County, VA (2026)
8 rules for unincorporated York County, Virginia.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
York County keeps sexually-oriented businesses at least 1,000 feet from schools, preschools, and colleges, and at least 500 feet from homes, places of worship, parks, hotels, and other adult businesses. Code § 24.1-470.2 also limits hours, bars visible adult media, and restricts admission to adults eighteen and older.
Adult Business Spacing Rules in York County, VA
Significant RestrictionsYork County Code § 24.1-470.2
(a)The business shall be located at least one-thousand feet (1,000') from the property line of any pre-existing: pre-school, child care center, or nursery school; public, parochial or private school (K thru 12), college or university; and at least five-hundred feet (500') from any residential zoning district or planned development zoning district, or the property line of any pre-existing: resid...
Massage Establishments
Operating a massage parlor anywhere in York County, Virginia is unlawful without a permit issued by the county health director under Chapter 14.3. Applicants face fingerprinting, criminal-history and medical disclosures, and the county caps hours: no massage parlor may open or give a massage between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
York County Massage Parlor Permit and Hours
Significant RestrictionsYork County Code §§ 14.3-2, 14.3-8, 14.3-10
It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in, conduct or carry on, or to permit to be engaged in, conducted or carried on, in or upon any premises within the county, the business of a massage parlor, or to conduct or carry on, or permit to be carried on, the business of rendering massage parlor services at a location removed from a massage parlor within the county without a permit pursuant ...
Tattoo & Body Modification
York County restricts where a tattoo parlor can locate, keeping it at least half a mile from any place of worship, K-12 school, public library, or public park or athletic facility. Code § 24.1-470.1 also bars a tattoo parlor's façade or signage from being visible from any Primary System road in the county.
Tattoo Parlor Location Rules in York County, VA
Some RestrictionsYork County Code § 24.1-470.1
(a)Tattoo parlors, pawn shops or payday loan establishments shall not be located on property that is within ½ mile (2,640 feet) of property occupied by: a place of worship; a public, parochial or private school (K thru 12); a public library; or, a public park or athletic field or facility.(b)No tattoo parlor shall be located such that its principal façade or any wall or freestanding signage ass...
Tobacco Retail License
In York County, Virginia, the Table of Land Uses at Sec. 24.1-306 lists 'Tobacco/Vape/Electronic Cigarette Store' as item 21 and marks it 'S' only in the Limited Business, General Business, and Economic Opportunity districts, meaning the Board of Supervisors must approve a special use permit before one can open. Every residential district, the Neighborhood Business district, and the industrial and water-oriented commercial districts show no entry, so the use is not permitted there at all.
York County VA Requires SUP for Vape Shops
Significant RestrictionsYork County Code § 24.1-306 (Table of Land Uses, Item 21)
S=PERMITTED BY SPECIAL USE PERMIT USES ... RC RR R33 R20 R13 R7 RMF NB LB GB WCI EO IL IG ... ... 21. Tobacco/Vape/Electronic Cigarette Store S S S
Secondhand Dealers
Junk dealers, antique dealers and other secondhand-goods buyers in York County, Virginia need a dealer license from the commissioner of revenue under Section 14-30(b)(2), separate from the pawnbroker license. Dealers must file daily transaction reports with the sheriff and hold every purchased item at least 10 days before reselling it.
York County Secondhand Dealer License Rules
Significant RestrictionsYork County Code § 14-30(b)(2)
Dealer in secondhand goods. ... For purposes of this section, a "dealer in secondhand goods" (also referred to herein as a "dealer") is any person engaged in the business of buying or selling secondhand or used articles, without limitation, including junk dealers, antique dealers, dealers in secondhand clothing, furniture, appliances and similar articles and itinerant buyers or sellers, except ...
Pawnbrokers
Anyone running a pawnshop in York County, Virginia needs a pawnbroker license from the commissioner of revenue under Section 14-30, on top of the circuit-court authorization Virginia law requires. The license costs $100 and lasts two years, and every pawned item must sit unsold for at least 30 days.
York County Pawnbroker License Requirements
Significant RestrictionsYork County Code § 14-30
(a)License required. No person shall engage in the business of a pawnbroker or a dealer in secondhand goods in the County without having a valid pawnbroker or dealer license issued by the commissioner of the revenue; however, the provisions of this section shall not apply to any pawnbroker licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia prior to July 1, 1998. ... Pawnbroker. For purposes of this secti...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
In York County, Virginia, Sec. 24.1-284(a) of the zoning ordinance flatly bans automobile repair, servicing, sales, or body work as a home occupation in every residential district countywide. A homeowner cannot get a business license for garage or driveway auto work regardless of size; the Zoning Administrator in Planning and Development Services enforces the ban, and no special use permit path exists to overturn it.
York County Bars Home Auto Repair Shops
Heavy RestrictionsYork County Code § 24.1-284(a)
Sec. 24.1-284. - Prohibited home occupations. The following uses shall not be permitted as an on premises accessory home occupations: (a)Automobile repair, servicing, sales, or body work.
Towing Companies
York County keeps a rotating Police Towing List of up to 10 companies each for Upper and Lower County, run through the York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office. Light-duty tow companies must respond within 30 minutes, heavy-duty within an hour, and fees must follow the Board of Supervisors' adopted schedule.
York County Police-Requested Towing Rules
Some RestrictionsYork County Code §§ 15-74, 15-75
Sec. 15-74. - Assistance in Obtaining Tow Services.(a)Whenever it shall be necessary to procure towing services at the scene of any traffic accident or traffic hazard or other such incident, the York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office, the Virginia Department of State Police, or any law enforcement agency providing assistance to the County of York shall assist the operator or owner of the vehicle to be ...
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