Norfolk, VA

Norfolk declares vehicles abandoned after 48 hours on public property or 10 days on private property without owner consent, per VA Code §46.2-1200. Inoperable vehicles on residential…

Norfolk encourages EV charging infrastructure. Residential Level 2 chargers require a simple electrical permit. Public charging available at Waterside District, MacArthur Center…

Norfolk lets residents and business owners petition the city manager to create a parking-permit district under City Code § 25-286.2, restricting on-street parking to permit holders…

Norfolk marks curb loading zones under City Code § 25-282(3) to reserve curbside space exclusively for loading and unloading passengers, disabled riders, or merchandise. Drivers may…

Norfolk bans parking in specific high-conflict spots under City Code § 25-280: within three feet of a driveway, within 15 feet of a fire hydrant or fire station entrance, within 20…

Norfolk bans parking or storing trucks, buses, trailers, tow trucks, dump trucks and similar commercial vehicles anywhere in a residential zoning district, and on any city street…

Norfolk regulates where residents may park recreational vehicles, boats, personal watercraft and their trailers under City Code § 25-293.2. Front-yard and street storage is banned…

Norfolk marks its no-stopping, no-parking, limited-parking, valet, courier and no-bus-parking zones by painting the curb or roadway, by posting a sign, or both. The city manager…

Norfolk bars parking or storing any motor vehicle on an unimproved surface, dirt or grass included, in the front yard, corner side yard or buffer yard of a residential lot under City…

Virginia puts the ceiling on a nonconsensual tow in the Code itself rather than in an agency tariff. Va. Code § 46.2-1233.1 A caps the hookup and initial towing fee for a passenger car…

Norfolk prohibits modified exhausts, engine braking without need, and car audio plainly audible at 50 feet. VA Code 46.2-1049 (mufflers) and 46.2-1050 (exhaust modifications) apply…

Norfolk requires owners to control their animals so they do not become a public nuisance, and specifically names excessive, continuous, or untimely barking, along with molesting…

Norfolk caps ambient sound by zoning district under Table II of City Code § 26-6(c). Residential and most special-purpose districts top out at 57 dB(A) daytime and 52 dB(A) overnight…

Norfolk bans loudspeakers, PA systems, and amplifiers, including car audio, from running between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. if the sound is plainly audible inside a neighbor's dwelling…

Norfolk's general noise curfew runs from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.: under Sec. 26-6(a)(2), any audio player or similar device that is plainly audible 100 feet away during the day drops…

Norfolk bans lawn care noise audible inside a neighbor's home between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. The rule covers leaf blowers, mowers, and other landscaping equipment under City Code §…

Norfolk's noise chapter carves aircraft out entirely: Sec. 26-5(8) exempts all aircraft under Federal Aviation Administration jurisdiction from the city's noise rules. With Naval…

Norfolk bars bulldozers, jackhammers, chain saws, pile drivers, and other construction equipment from running between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under Sec. 26-6(a)(7), unless the city…

Norfolk prohibits all consumer fireworks within city limits despite Virginia state permissiveness. Only fireworks approved by the Fire Marshal for public displays are allowed…

Norfolk requires working smoke detectors in all residential dwellings under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code and VA Code 15.2-922. Rental properties must have hardwired or…

Norfolk prohibits most open burning within city limits under City Code Chapter 16 and the Virginia Statewide Air Pollution Control Regulations. The Virginia 4 PM Burn Law (Feb 15 to…

Virginia adopts the Statewide Fire Prevention Code applying uniform NFPA 58 propane storage and handling standards across all jurisdictions, regulating tank placement, capacity, and…

Virginia lets the Governor, on the State Forester's recommendation, ban all open burning when serious fire hazards exist, and makes anyone whose negligence causes a wildfire liable to…

Norfolk Code of Ordinances § 11.1-13 bars barbed or razor wire from wholly or partially enclosing any lot in the city. The rule carves out two narrow exceptions: barbed ends of fences…

Under Code of Virginia § 55.1-2821, adjoining landowners must build and maintain division fences between their lands at joint and equal expense, unless one leaves his land open or the…

Anyone running a grooming salon, pet shop, or companion-animal dealership in Norfolk must hold a $50 annual permit from the animal control officer, submit to unannounced inspections…

Norfolk bans all livestock and poultry other than chickens citywide. Keeping chickens requires a Department of Public Health permit, caps the flock at six hens with no roosters, and…

Norfolk limits any dwelling unit or premises to four adult dogs and four adult cats. A narrow grandfather clause protects owners who already held licenses for more animals before…

Norfolk requires a permit from the animal control officer to keep or exhibit any wild, exotic, or poisonous animal, with a detailed affidavit, a $50,000 insurance or surety bond, and…

Norfolk designates its entire corporate area a bird sanctuary and makes it unlawful to kill or injure any bird, or damage a nest or eggs, with the sole exceptions of starlings…

Norfolk makes it unlawful to feed native Virginia wildlife anywhere in the city except in areas the city designates for that purpose, though ordinary backyard bird feeders are…

Norfolk regulates free-roaming cat colonies through a caregiver program under Code of Ordinances Sec. 6.1-101 rather than banning them. Anyone feeding or managing a colony must keep…

Norfolk does not require every pet owner to spay or neuter, but Code of Ordinances Sec. 6.1-86 bars the SPCA, the city's animal care and adoption center, humane societies, and shelters…

Norfolk bans letting a dog, cat, or other animal run at large anywhere in the city under Code of Ordinances Sec. 6.1-79. An animal is at large the moment it leaves its owner's property…

Norfolk has no breed-specific legislation. VA Code 3.2-6540.1 expressly preempts localities from banning dogs by breed. Norfolk relies on the behavior-based dangerous-dog framework…

Virginia regulates beekeeping at the state level via Title 3.2 Chapter 44, including voluntary registration and Right-to-Farm protection on agricultural land.

Norfolk requires a city license, issued by the Department of Human Services, to run a family day home caring for one to four children in a residence. Operating without a valid license…

Norfolk follows Virginia Cottage Food Law (VA Code 3.2-5130) allowing home kitchen production of non-hazardous foods for direct sale. No state permit or inspection required. Annual…

Norfolk requires home occupations to comply with zoning standards limiting external evidence, customer visits, and non-resident employees. A Norfolk business license is required for…

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 does not issue a microenterprise home kitchen permit, and it cannot: the Board of Health food regulation at 12VAC5-421-2990 says a private home shall not be used for…

Norfolk's city manager can declare a water shortage in the city's water system and impose escalating conservation measures under Sec. 46.1-53 through 46.1-57. Once Condition 2 is…

Norfolk treats grass, weeds, and other vegetable matter over 12 inches tall as a nuisance under City Code § 27-2(c). Owners and occupants of land next to a public right-of-way must…

Norfolk requires permits to remove any tree in the public right-of-way, Chesapeake Bay buffer, or protected canopy area. Private trees outside these zones can generally be removed, but…

Norfolk cuts a residential property owner's stormwater management fee by 10 percent for installing and maintaining rain barrels or cisterns that drain at least 300 square feet of roof…

A Norfolk tree or shrub that blocks pedestrian or vehicle traffic, or blocks sight lines in a visibility triangle, is a declared public nuisance the owner must prune or remove. The…

Norfolk requires a building permit to install a residential swimming pool under the fee schedule in Code of Ordinances Sec. 11.1-3. An in-ground pool costs $125 to permit, an…

Every outdoor public swimming pool in Norfolk has to sit completely inside a fence at least 48 inches tall under Section 43-25(a), with every gate able to latch shut at four feet and…

Norfolk requires all short-term rental operators to obtain a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) and annual STR registration. STRs are restricted to specific zoning districts and generally…

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.

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 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.

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.

Virginia's Uniform Statewide Building Code exempts sheds under 256 square feet from building permits statewide, preempting any stricter local permit requirements.

Virginia regulates tiny homes through the Uniform Statewide Building Code and IRC Appendix Q, preempting local construction standards while leaving placement and zoning to localities.

Norfolk bans applying lead-containing paint, or any lead substance above 0.06 percent by weight, to surfaces of homes or facilities used by children, under City Code § 27-33. Selling…

Norfolk requires a fire suppression system in every building fifty feet or taller, installed under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code and NFPA #13, and kept in full operating…

Norfolk sets numeric physical-safety standards for licensed family day homes under Code § 15.1-30: hot water between 105 and 120 degrees, indoor heat kept at least 65 degrees, and…

Norfolk Code of Ordinances § 11.1-74 sets the inspection stages behind a dwelling occupancy permit: after an application is filed, the property maintenance code official inspects the…

Norfolk adopts the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code as its building code under Sec. 11.1-1, and Sec. 11.1-1.1 makes that code control the construction, reconstruction…

Anyone using scaffolding or suspended apparatus over a Norfolk street to clean buildings must register with the building official and post a $5,000 bond under § 42-28. Related sections…

Norfolk regulates electrical work through the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, adopted citywide by City Code § 11.1-1, and charges permit fees by amperage and circuit count…

Norfolk regulates elevators as building equipment under the Uniform Statewide Building Code adopted by City Code § 11.1-1, and requires paid maintenance certificates and acceptance…

Norfolk pedestrians must cross streets at intersections or marked crosswalks whenever possible under City Code § 25-626. Crossing between intersections when a crosswalk exists is not…

Norfolk bans skateboards and roller skates outright in city parks and on pedestrian malls under §§ 30-40 and 31-19, and restricts them on streets and posted sidewalks under § 25-632…

Norfolk treats a loud gathering of two or more people between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. as a per se noise violation under Sec. 26-6(a)(6) if it's plainly audible inside a neighbor's…

Norfolk makes it a Class 3 misdemeanor to urinate or defecate on any public street, alley, sidewalk, park, beach, or other place the public gathers or can access, unless a restroom or…

Norfolk Code § 29-17 makes public intoxication a Class 4 misdemeanor, rising to a Class 3 misdemeanor on a third conviction within one year, and separately bans carrying an open beer…

Norfolk makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to loiter or prowl in a place, time, or manner unusual for law-abiding people under circumstances creating a reasonable alarm for the safety of…

Norfolk bans smoking inside every restaurant, but the law carves out a genuine outdoor exception: a patio, deck or sidewalk seating area is exempt as long as it isn't enclosed by…

Norfolk requires every food establishment worker to hold a food service card from the director of public health before working in any capacity, and requires every establishment to…

Norfolk requires every building and structure to be ratproofed and kept free of rats under the supervision of the director of public health. Owners who ignore a ratproofing order face…

Norfolk requires anyone operating a massage or bodywork business, defined in its code as a 'health parlor,' to hold an operator's permit from the director of public health before…

Norfolk requires anyone buying or canvassing for secondhand furniture, appliances, or similar goods to hold a one-year police-issued permit, pay a $100 application fee plus $25 per…

Norfolk requires any private property owner who wants unauthorized vehicles towed to post specific signage at every entrance under City Code § 25-300, naming the towing firm and its…

Norfolk requires anyone running a tattoo parlor to hold a permit from the director of the Department of Public Health under Section 43.1-11, display it for public viewing, and pay an…

Norfolk pawnbrokers hold a city-issued license that can be revoked on conviction for violating Chapter 38, must keep detailed daily transaction records, and are capped at interest…

Virginia requires retail tobacco and liquid nicotine sellers to comply with state licensing under Code 58.1-1021.04:1 and prohibits sales to anyone under 21 per Code 18.2-371.2.

Norfolk Code § 14.5-4 makes it unlawful to dump solid waste on any property, in any waters, or into the stormwater system without a permit. Violators face a Class 1 misdemeanor under §…

Norfolk requires a permit from the director of public health before any commercial bulk container or roll-off dumpster is placed. City Code Sec. 41-13 sets the siting rules: the…

Norfolk sets residential garbage service by container ratio, not just a calendar. City Code Sec. 41-18 requires at least one automated cart per unit in buildings of four units or…

Norfolk runs recyclables on the same timing framework as trash collection, with one twist for the downtown business district: recyclables there go out only on Tuesday and Thursday…

Norfolk requires yard waste bagged in clear plastic or bundled to size limits before city crews will pick it up: bundles capped at four feet long, eighteen inches around and 75 pounds…

Norfolk collects residential solid waste on a schedule the director of public works sets, and every single residence, duplex and small multi-unit building must pay for that city…

Norfolk residents get twelve free bulk waste pickups a year, capped at three cubic yards each, but only after calling the division of waste management to schedule it. City Code Sec…

Norfolk gives residential and business customers a fixed set-out window: cart at the curb no earlier than 5 p.m. the night before, no later than 7 a.m. on collection day, and pulled…

Virginia requires each solid waste planning unit to maintain a minimum 25 percent recycling rate. A reduced 15 percent rate applies to units with a population density under 100 persons…

Norfolk's noise code specifically reaches bass-heavy sound: Sec. 26-2 defines "plainly audible and discernable" to include rhythmic bass tones or reverberations alone, even without…

Bars and restaurants on Granby Street can't let amplified music carry past 10 feet from their entrance between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. City Code § 26-6(a)(3) makes audible sound through…

Norfolk exempts generator noise from its noise ordinance during power outages or other emergency or necessary circumstances, per Sec. 26-5(4). Running a portable or standby generator…

Norfolk exempts HVAC units from its noise ordinance as long as they don't exceed the ambient noise level by more than 10 decibels, per Sec. 26-5(10). A normally operating heat pump or…

Norfolk requires a land-disturbing activity permit before any construction site disturbs more than 2,500 square feet under Chapter 15. The city reviews a submitted erosion and sediment…

Building a pier, wharf or bulkhead in Norfolk's tidal wetlands needs a permit from the Norfolk Wetlands Board under Sec. 49-6, unless it is a noncommercial catwalk, pier, boathouse or…

Norfolk reviews every subdivision plat against FEMA's flood insurance study to see if the tract sits in a designated floodplain district, and the building official makes the first call…

Larger Norfolk subdivisions in a floodplain district must submit base flood elevation data with their plat. The threshold is more than 50 lots or larger than 5 acres, whichever is…

Norfolk bans dumping filth, construction debris, gasoline, antifreeze, industrial wash water or even chlorinated pool water into any storm drain, ditch or gutter under Code § 41.1-4…

The Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act mandates 100-foot vegetated buffers along tidal waters and tributaries in 84 covered Tidewater localities, with state-set criteria local ordinances…

Norfolk defines a bicycle lane as pavement marked for the preferential use of bicycles, electric power-assisted bicycles and mopeds under City Code § 25-2(6). Riders keep right on…

Norfolk limits shareable dockless scooters and bikes to a single citywide operator at a time under City Code § 25-380, requires GPS, brakes and lights on every device under § 25-381…

Norfolk's city manager runs a red-light camera program under Code of Virginia § 15.2-968.1, capping installations at one intersection per 10,000 residents. Cameras must clear a…

Virginia runs two separate schemes. A golf cart or utility vehicle is barred from every public highway in the Commonwealth unless the county, city, or town has designated that road by…

Norfolk's Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) tax classifies every business by activity, then taxes gross receipts at the rate for that class. City Code § 24-25.9(c)…

Norfolk's nuisance code defines "overgrowth" to include running bamboo, vines, ivy, and noxious weeds that inhibit native vegetation once they exceed 12 inches or shelter rodents…

Norfolk's director of public health enforces Chapter 27 nuisance violations, most commonly overgrown grass and weeds, through a mailed notice under City Code § 27-6. Owners get 48…

Norfolk taxes every transient staying at a hotel or short-term rental unit under City Code § 24-234: 8 percent of the room charge plus a flat $3.00 per night for each bedroom, on top…

Norfolk's Chapter 36.1 lets city council designate residential rental inspection districts where the codes compliance office can inspect rental units yearly for safe, decent, sanitary…

Norfolk bans garage-sale signs on streets, sidewalks, or any public right-of-way; only one on-premises sign is allowed, capped at twelve square feet, and it must come down within…

Any sign placed in a Norfolk right-of-way, political or otherwise, technically needs council authorization under § 42-10(b). But § 42-10(e) exempts political signs, along with civic…

Installing a statue, monument, or memorial that the City of Norfolk has acquired, on city-owned property, requires design review by the architectural review board under City Code Sec…

Norfolk caps a yard or garage sale at three consecutive days and limits any one property to four sales per calendar year, on top of a rule barring sales before noon on Sunday.

Norfolk sets its own wind and roof-load design standards on top of the state building code under Code of Ordinances Sec. 11.1-4. Every exposed structure must resist a minimum sustained…

Norfolk bars anyone under 18 from streets, parks, alleys, and parked or moving vehicles in public between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. unless an adult with custody of the minor is present…

Norfolk's public parks operate on hours set individually for each park by the director of parks and recreation, posted on-site, under City Code Sec. 30-4. The director may also close…

Conducting a parade, public assembly, or expressive activity in a Norfolk street, sidewalk, or park requires a permit under City Code Sec. 29-67.1, with applications due 30 days ahead…

Holding a block party or street fair on a Norfolk street or other public place requires a permit from the city manager under Code § 29-69, applied for through the director of public…

Renting a Norfolk park, field, shelter, or recreation facility for a private event requires a permit from the director of parks and recreation under City Code Sec. 30-49, plus a…

Restaurants that want to build an outdoor dining area in Norfolk's public right-of-way need a § 42-12.1 permit from the department of public works. Rules cap hours at 11 p.m. to 7…

Structures that project into a Norfolk right-of-way normally need city council authorization under § 42-10, but § 42-10.1 lets the city manager administratively permit two specific…

Norfolk bars anyone from placing signs, structures or building projections in a public right-of-way, street, alley or sidewalk without city council authorization under § 42-10. The…

Norfolk puts the daily burden of a public sidewalk on the property it fronts, not the city. Code of Ordinances Section 42-32 requires the occupant, or the owner if the lot is vacant…

Filming on any Norfolk street, park, or other public property requires a city manager permit under Code § 29-68.1, applied for at least 14 days ahead, except for news coverage of…

Norfolk bans setting a fire or grilling anywhere on a city beach or sand dune, a Class 1 misdemeanor under Sec. 30-102, unless it happens inside an area the director of parks and…

Norfolk installs public surveillance cameras on city property only after residents of a Project Focus Neighborhood, or the police chief, petition for them, under City Code Sec…

No one may run a food truck in Norfolk's public right-of-way without a vendor license issued under Section 42-39(b), on top of the business license every vendor needs from the…

Norfolk confines every food truck, food vendor, ice cream truck and merchandise vendor to three kinds of ground under Section 42-38: private property whose zoning allows vending, an…

Norfolk lets food and merchandise vendors sell from a pushcart or stand only inside a sidewalk spot the city manager has specifically designated. Section 42-37(b) keeps those spots at…

Norfolk treats the parkway strip between curb and sidewalk as city property, so residents cannot plant or freely prune the trees growing there. Section 45-13(a) lets a resident apply…

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 HOAs and condo associations operate under the Virginia Property Owners Association Act (VA 55.1-1800 et seq.) and Condominium Act. Boards must follow notice, quorum, and…

Norfolk HOA disputes can be filed with the Virginia Common Interest Community Board Ombudsman or pursued in Norfolk Circuit Court. The POA Act requires associations to establish…

Norfolk HOAs enforce CCRs through notice, fines, and ultimately lawsuits under the Virginia POA Act. Due process requires written notice, opportunity to be heard, and consistent…

Under the Virginia Property Owners' Association Act, § 55.1-1833, an association may perfect a lien for unpaid assessments by recording a memorandum of lien, but only if it does so…

Virginia's Property Owners' Association Act protects one flag and one flag only: the flag of the United States. Under Va. Code § 55.1-1820 no association may prohibit a lot owner from…

Virginia caps association fines by statute. Under Va. Code § 55.1-1819 D a charge may not exceed $50 for a single offense or $10 per day for a continuing offense, and a continuing…

Virginia does not stop a community association from restricting or even prohibiting leasing, because Va. Code § 55.1-1806 opens with an exception for anything expressly authorized in…

Norfolk requires a property maintenance code official's occupancy permit before any dwelling unit can be reoccupied inside the city's designated conservation and rehabilitation…

Owners of rental units inside a designated Norfolk inspection district must notify the codes compliance office in writing within sixty days that the unit is a rental, or face a…

The Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act sets uniform eviction grounds and notice periods statewide, preempting local just-cause ordinances under Dillon's Rule.

Under Va. Code § 55.1-1229, a landlord must give the tenant notice of intent to enter and may enter only at reasonable times, except in an emergency. For routine maintenance the tenant…

Va. Code § 55.1-1204 lets a landlord charge a late fee only if the written lease provides for it, capped at the lesser of 10 percent of the periodic rent or 10 percent of the remaining…

Under Va. Code § 55.1-1253, either party may end a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice before the next rent due date, and a week-to-week tenancy with at least…

Under the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, a landlord may not demand a security deposit exceeding two months' rent. After the tenancy ends, the landlord must return the…

Under Va. Code § 8.01-236, a person must take action to recover land within 15 years after the right accrues, so an occupant claiming title by adverse possession must hold the property…

Norfolk's derelict buildings article, Norfolk Code of Ordinances § 27-73, lets the director of neighborhood preservation order the owner of a building vacant, boarded up, and…

Norfolk requires vacant lots to be kept clear of tall grass, trash, and debris under the Virginia Maintenance Code and VA Code 15.2-901. Owners face abatement fees and liens when the…

Virginia legalized adult-use cannabis home cultivation on July 1, 2021 under VA Code 4.1-1101. Norfolk residents 21 and older can grow up to 4 cannabis plants per household (not per…

Virginia bars anyone from operating a medical cannabis dispensing facility or pharmaceutical processor without a permit from the Cannabis Control Authority Board. Permits are capped by…

Recreational drone operation in Norfolk is heavily constrained by federal airspace restrictions surrounding Naval Station Norfolk, Chambers Field, and Norfolk International Airport…

Commercial drone operators in Virginia follow FAA Part 107 rules and are shielded from most local regulation under state preemption, with limited exceptions for locality-owned property…

Virginia's minimum wage under Code § 40.1-28.10 is $12.77 per hour in 2026, rising to $13.75 on January 1, 2027 and $15.00 on January 1, 2028. The state rate preempts localities from…

Virginia Code 40.1-33.3 et seq. requires paid sick leave only for certain home health workers; no general statewide paid leave mandate exists, and broad local paid leave ordinances…

Virginia issues concealed handgun permits under Code 18.2-308.01 through 18.2-308.014, with shall-issue standards administered by circuit courts; localities cannot impose additional…

Virginia preempts most local firearm regulation under Code 15.2-915, but a 2020 amendment lets localities restrict firearms in specific public buildings, parks, recreation centers, and…

Virginia generally permits open carry of firearms by adults without a permit, though Code 18.2-287.4 restricts certain loaded high-capacity weapons in named public areas of larger…

Virginia Code 18.2-308 lets adults transport firearms in personal vehicles, with concealed handguns in a closed compartment lawful without a permit; localities are preempted by Code…

Virginia confines casino gaming to a short list of statutorily defined 'eligible host cities' that meet strict poverty, unemployment, or tax-exempt-property thresholds under Va. Code §…

Virginia's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services controls all charitable gaming under Code § 18.2-340.15, treating it as a revocable privilege rather than a right. A…

Virginia's general gambling ban does not reach a private game of chance held in someone's home. Code § 18.2-334 exempts games of chance in a private residence from prosecution under…

Virginia legalized online sports betting in 2020 under Code § 58.1-4032, but caps competition: the Virginia Lottery's Director issues no fewer than four and no more than 12 permits…

Virginia law enforcement runs sobriety checkpoints, and the General Assembly legislated on that fact in 2023, but no section of the Code of Virginia authorizes or regulates them. Va…

Virginia has no statute granting an express right to record police, and it does not need one, because Virginia is a one-party consent state. Va. Code § 19.2-62(B)(2) makes it no…

Virginia is not a stop-and-identify state. No section of the Code of Virginia requires a person stopped or detained on the street to give a name, and the General Assembly has never…

Virginia is one of the few states that answered the consent question by statute rather than leaving it to the courts. Va. Code § 4.1-1302 bars an officer from stopping, searching or…

Virginia Code 15.2-2288 and 15.2-2288.3 limit how localities may zone agricultural land, preserving by-right production and restricting special use permit requirements for bona fide…

Virginia Code 58.1-1745 authorizes counties and cities to impose a 5-cent tax on disposable plastic bags provided at grocery stores, convenience stores, and drugstores within their…

Virginia Code § 10.1-1424.3 phases out expanded polystyrene single-use food service containers: food vendors with 20 or more locations had to comply by July 1, 2025, and all food…

Virginia's solar covenant statute is a default rule, not a covenant-voiding right. Va. Code § 55.1-1820.1 B says no association shall prohibit an owner from installing a solar energy…

Solar panel installations in Virginia require permits issued locally but governed by the statewide Uniform Statewide Building Code and electrical code.

Virginia enforces the federal Do Not Call Registry and the state Telephone Privacy Protection Act, prohibiting most unsolicited telephone solicitations to registered numbers and…

Virginia Code 18.2-371.2 prohibits selling tobacco, nicotine, and vapor products to anyone under 21, with active duty military members 18 and over exempted under state law.

Virginia runs a closed list. Va. Code 46.2-1020 names the extra lights a private vehicle may carry, and anything not on that list, not permitted elsewhere in the lighting article, and…

Virginia is one of the few states with a dash camera provision written into the vehicle code by name. Since 2023, subsection C of Va. Code 46.2-1054 says the obstructed-view law does…

Virginia does not permit lane splitting, and it does not treat the offense as a simple traffic ticket. Va. Code § 46.2-857 makes it reckless driving to drive any motor vehicle so as to…

Virginia bans any cover, frame, bracket, holder, mounting, or colored glass or plastic placed on, around, or over a license plate if it in any way alters or obscures the plate…

Virginia prohibits radar and laser detectors outright in every private vehicle. Va. Code 46.2-1079 makes it unlawful to operate a car equipped with any passive or active device that…

Virginia permits studded snow tires only between October 15 and April 15, and only on a vehicle whose gross weight does not exceed 10,000 pounds. The studs must project no more than…

Virginia lets you tint front side windows down to 50 percent light transmittance and rear side and rear windows down to 35 percent, and no window film anywhere on the car may reflect…