Richmond requires a Home Occupation Certificate of Zoning Compliance plus a business license for any business run from a dwelling. Home occupations must be clearly incidental to residential use, with no non-resident employees and no customer visits in most R districts.
Zoning Ordinance §30-692 permits home occupations in all residential districts subject to performance standards: no more than 25 percent of the dwelling floor area used for the business, no outdoor storage, no signs over 1 square foot, no deliveries by vehicles over 10,000 lbs GVWR, and no employees who do not reside in the dwelling. Home Occupation Certificate costs 150 dollars (2026 fee schedule). A Richmond business license is required annually through the Department of Finance with BPOL tax based on gross receipts.
Operating without a Certificate: 100 to 500 dollars per day under §30-930. BPOL tax penalties accrue under VA Code §58.1-3916 at 10 percent plus interest.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Richmond, VA
Richmond's zoning and property maintenance codes do not restrict residential lawn ornaments, statuary, or religious displays at single-family homes. Politica...
Richmond, VA
Richmond has no specific city ordinance regulating residential inflatable holiday displays. Restrictions come from HOA and condo covenants under Virginia's P...
Richmond, VA
Richmond has no citywide ordinance restricting residential holiday lights at single-family homes. Real restrictions arise from HOA and condo covenants under ...
Richmond, VA
Outdoor kitchens in Richmond require separate trade permits from PDR Building Permits: building permit for structural elements, mechanical permit for gas lin...
Richmond, VA
Richmond has no specific city ordinance regulating residential offset smokers, pellet grills, or wood-fired pizza ovens at single-family homes. Multi-unit re...
Richmond, VA
Richmond enforces the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code (VSFPC), which adopts the 2018 International Fire Code. IFC §308.1.4 prohibits open-flame cooki...
See how Richmond's home occupation permits rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.