Portsmouth, VA

Portsmouth caps measurable sound at the source's property line: 55 dBA in residential zones overnight (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.), 65 dBA in residential zones by day, and 75 dBA in commercial…

Portsmouth treats certain vehicle sounds as automatic noise violations with no meter needed: an unnecessary car horn, a car stereo loud enough to intrude on another vehicle, and…

A barking dog becomes a code violation in Portsmouth once a neighbor has asked the owner to stop and the animal keeps disturbing them at home. City Code § 24-255(c)(3) makes it a per…

Construction equipment gets a break from Portsmouth's noise ordinance only between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Outside that window, City Code § 24-255(f)(1) withdraws the exemption…

Portsmouth's quiet hours run from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. in residential zones, when sound measured at 55 dBA or higher at the property line is unlawful under City Code § 24-255(d)(1)…

Portsmouth's excessive-sound ordinance, Code of Ordinances Sec. 24-255, carves out a specific exemption for aircraft. Subsection (f)(8) states the section's decibel limits and per se…

Portsmouth outlaws burning wrecked or junked vehicles, waste materials, rubbish, debris, dead trees and limbs, leaves, and other natural growth anywhere in the city under § 13-7. There…

Portsmouth requires smoke detectors in every building with a dwelling unit, hotel, motel, or roominghouse offering overnight sleeping accommodations. Installation must follow the…

Portsmouth bans manufacturing, selling, storing, and using or exploding fireworks anywhere in the city under § 13-105, with the only exception being a permitted public display under…

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…

Portsmouth requires every cat four months or older to carry current rabies vaccination under City Code § 4-96, with the rabies tag worn on the collar whenever the cat leaves its…

It's unlawful for any dog to run at large in Portsmouth under City Code § 4-31, meaning off its owner's property and not under immediate physical or voice control. A first or second…

Portsmouth outright bans keeping specific dangerous wild animals within city limits under City Code § 4-11, naming elephants, bears, leopards, lions, tigers, panthers, bobcats, wolves…

Portsmouth's zoning ordinance treats commercial pet grooming as a distinct land use that is off-limits in the city's Neighborhood, General, and Urban Residential districts. Groomers…

Portsmouth's Use Table lists Apiculture (Beekeeping) as a permitted, by-right use in all 19 of the city's zoning districts, with no citation to added use-specific standards. The Zoning…

Portsmouth does not require every pet to be sterilized, but any dog a court has found dangerous cannot get a registration certificate unless the owner has it spayed or neutered. City…

Veterinary clinics in Portsmouth need a discretionary Use Permit in the Urban Residential and Urban Residential-Mixed districts and are permitted by right only in Neighborhood…

Portsmouth cannot single out or ban a dog by breed: City Code § 4-33.1(c) states no dog may be found dangerous or vicious solely because it is a particular breed, and the city council…

Portsmouth caps dogs at five per dwelling unit or premises for any dog older than six months, under City Code § 4-10(b). The same section limits any dog or cat housing structure on…

Portsmouth allows up to six backyard chickens, no roosters, on single-family lots of at least 5,000 square feet under Sec. 40.2-217(I)(3)(e). Housing and fencing must sit in the rear…

Portsmouth designates its entire corporate limits a bird sanctuary under City Code § 4-3, protecting every species covered by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act except starlings…

City Code § 4-33(m) excludes wildlife rehabilitators from Portsmouth's exotic-animal permit system, so long as they are acting under a valid state or federal license to treat injured…

Virginia prohibits baiting wildlife for hunting and lets localities ban deer feeding, while bear feeding bans are addressed through hunting and Department regulations.

Portsmouth's city manager may create residential parking districts to keep non-resident commuters off crowded residential blocks. City Code § 22-567.1 lets the manager issue permits…

Portsmouth treats any vehicle left inoperable and unattended on public property for more than 48 hours, or on private property without consent for more than 48 hours, as abandoned…

Portsmouth's zoning ordinance bars parking a boat, camper or recreational vehicle anywhere but the side or rear yard of the home it belongs to, caps heavy trucks, trailers and major…

Portsmouth limits most single-family detached lots to one driveway per block face, with an exception for circular driveways, under Sec. 40.2-217(D)(1)(a)(iii). Two-family homes may…

Portsmouth bans parking motorbuses, vans, trucks, trailers, and semitrailers on residential streets overnight. City Code § 22-567 prohibits it from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. on weeknights…

Portsmouth lets any off-street parking lot include electric vehicle charging spaces, and those spaces count toward the site's minimum parking requirement. Reserve a charging space for…

Portsmouth outlaws leaving any vehicle on a public street for more than 48 hours. City Code § 22-566(a) makes every day after a police officer's 24-hour removal notice a separate…

Portsmouth restricts curb loading zones to actual loading and unloading. City Code Sec. 22-572 bars parking there except for expeditious pickup, delivery, or passenger loading, and…

Portsmouth requires vehicles to park close and parallel to the curb, facing with traffic, never against it. City Code § 22-561(b) bans parking on the wrong side, and § 22-562(a)…

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…

Portsmouth taxes every short-term rental stay at 8% of the total lodging charge plus a flat $3 per room per night, under the city's transient lodging tax ordinance. The tax applies…

Virginia authorizes localities to require short-term rental registration and establishes a statewide framework allowing zoning permits, fees, and conditions for transient occupancy…

Portsmouth's code gives the city broad, standing authority to restrict water use during emergencies. There is no published watering-day schedule; instead, Sec. 38-58 lets the…

Portsmouth property owners and occupants must keep bushes, shrubs, trees, and other plants trimmed so nothing overhangs and blocks a public right-of-way. City Code Sec. 36-2 puts the…

Portsmouth caps grass and weeds at 10 inches within 300 feet of any building or road. City Code § 23-26(a) declares taller growth an unlawful nuisance, and § 23-26(b) presumes weeds at…

Removing, pruning, cutting, or damaging any tree or shrub on city-owned property in Portsmouth requires a written permit from the director of parks, recreation and leisure services…

Virginia encourages rainwater harvesting and graywater reuse: outdoor rain-barrel collection is essentially unregulated, while the Board of Health sets standards for reuse systems and…

Portsmouth gives home occupations no special sign allowance: any sign for a home-based business must meet the city's general sign standards, Sec. 40.2-307, the same rule that lets a…

Portsmouth permits up to two home occupations per residence under Sec. 40.2-217(I)(3)(g), capped at 25 percent of the home's floor area, run only by residents, with no more than two…

A family day home caring for five to twelve children under 13 is a permitted use in Portsmouth's residential districts, but the Zoning Administrator must first mail adjoining property…

Portsmouth limits home-based personal service businesses, hair stylists, tutors, estheticians, and the like, to one customer receiving service at a time. The rule sits in the city's…

Virginia lets a resident make and sell a specific list of shelf-stable foods out of a private home with no Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services permit, no…

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…

Stack a fence on top of a retaining wall in Portsmouth and the combined height still can't exceed the district's normal fence-height limit. Sec. 40.2-305(D)(3) measures the total from…

Every fence or wall built, rebuilt, replaced, or relocated in Portsmouth needs a Zoning Permit under Sec. 40.2-305(B)(2), checked against the height and material standards before a…

Portsmouth bans barbed wire and electric fencing in every zoning district. Barbed wire can only go up with a Zoning Administrator-approved security plan and a Special Exception, and…

Portsmouth caps residential fences at 4 feet and 50 percent see-through in a front yard, or 6 feet if solid only at the front facade, and 6 feet in side and rear yards. Sec…

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…

Portsmouth requires every fence or wall used as a swimming pool barrier to meet all applicable state and local standards, and any fence built, replaced, or relocated citywide needs a…

Portsmouth routes residential pools through the building code rather than a separate pool ordinance. Chapter 34, Section 34-2(c) requires private swimming pools to be built to the…

Portsmouth allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot as an accessory to a single-family detached home, sized between 300 square feet and 25 percent of the principal structure's floor…

Portsmouth's zoning ordinance caps accessory structures like sheds, detached garages, and carports at 5 percent of lot area in the Neighborhood Residential (NR) district, up to 10…

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.

Portsmouth requires every mobile food facility, including push-carts, trailers and food trucks, to hold a health department permit before operating and to display an annual tracking…

Portsmouth requires a city permit before anyone vends food, drinks or flowers from a mobile cart on downtown streets or sidewalks. Vending is capped to 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., one…

Portsmouth bans food trucks from public roadways in residential zoning districts outside downtown, and allows them in non-residential zones only if legally parked, at least 25 feet…

Portsmouth requires dumpsters serving mobile home parks, multifamily, commercial and industrial developments to sit at least 50 feet from any residential structure, 5 feet off the…

Portsmouth collects household garbage and trash once a week and recyclables every other week on the same day, with the city manager or a designee authorized to reset the schedule when…

Portsmouth residents on automated collection must use the city-furnished container, put it out no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before pickup, and pull it back by evening of collection…

Any person or business in Portsmouth that recycles solid waste, whether by selling it, donating it, or reprocessing it locally, must file an annual report with the city's director of…

Portsmouth requires paper to be bundled or bagged, boxes flattened and tied in bundles under 25 pounds, tires limited to four per year, and dead refrigerators to have doors removed…

Portsmouth picks up recyclables every other week on the same day as regular trash, and only material set out in the city-issued approved container counts as compliant. Residents in…

Portsmouth picks up bulk items and tree debris from residences on a schedule set by the director of general services, but tree parts must be cut to 4-6 foot lengths, stacked no larger…

Dumping trash, refuse or debris on public property or on private property without the owner's written consent is a Class 1 misdemeanor in Portsmouth, punishable by a fine of $250 to…

Portsmouth requires yard waste in automated-collection areas to go out in clear plastic bags of no more than 40 gallons or 25 pounds each, capped at 20 bags per collection, with…

Sec. 24-262 makes aggressive panhandling a Class 1 misdemeanor: following and repeating a money request after it's been refused, touching someone while asking, blocking their path, or…

Portsmouth makes it a class 4 misdemeanor to stand, lie or sit in a public park, playground or public street while possessing an open container whose contents include an alcoholic…

Portsmouth directs pedestrians to cross wherever possible only at intersections or marked crosswalks. City Code § 22-702(a) still shields a pedestrian from being found negligent as a…

Portsmouth bans skateboards, scooters and similar wheeled toys on the Elizabeth River seawall and the adjacent Portside Festival grounds. City Code § 6-5 carves out wheelchairs and…

It is unlawful in Portsmouth to urinate or defecate on any public street, alley, sidewalk, park or other public place the public gathers in or has access to, unless using facilities…

Portsmouth bans unreasonably obstructing sidewalks or public plazas, sleeping or lying on sidewalks and benches, and pitching tents in designated public plazas under Sec. 24-259…

Portsmouth's parks code, Sec. 25-111, bars smoking anywhere in a city park where the parks director has posted a no-smoking designation, and lets the director close smoking anywhere in…

Portsmouth regulates land-disturbing construction activity starting at 2,500 square feet, requiring an approved erosion and sediment control plan before grading begins. Starting work…

Portsmouth requires a city-issued stormwater permit before any land-disturbing activity and bans dumping process water, oil, antifreeze or debris into the storm system. Violations…

Anyone building or maintaining a bulkhead, pier, landing or similar dock on the city's water-supply reservoirs needs a permit from the director of public utilities. City Code § 38-391…

Any development within a Portsmouth floodplain district, including placing a manufactured home, requires a permit before work begins under City Code § 14.1-10(a). The floodplain…

New or substantially improved homes in Portsmouth's mapped flood zones must have their lowest floor, including HVAC ductwork and any basement, elevated at least 3.0 feet above the base…

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…

Portsmouth bans grass or weeds over ten inches within 300 feet of any building or road on any lot in the city, and bans letting debris pile up, whether the parcel is occupied or…

Portsmouth code officials can order an owner to repair, demolish, or remove any structure so unsafe, unsanitary, or dilapidated that it endangers human life, and the law expressly…

Delivery trucks get no special break in Portsmouth's noise code: they're held to the same dBA limits as any other sound source under City Code § 24-255(d), and a rig with a defective…

Blasting a car stereo's bass hard enough to be felt is a stand-alone offense in Portsmouth, no decibel meter required. City Code § 24-255(c)(2) makes it illegal to run a vehicle sound…

A home or business generator in Portsmouth must stay under the same decibel ceilings as any other sound source: 55 dBA at night and 65 dBA by day in a residential zone, or 75 dBA in a…

Portsmouth's noise ordinance exempts burglar and vehicle alarms from its decibel limits and per se noise offenses while they are sounding. Under City Code § 24-255(f)(11), an owner who…

Portsmouth's Buildings and Structures Maintenance Code makes every owner and operator responsible for keeping foundations, chimneys, porches, and exteriors structurally sound…

Owners of rental units inside one of Portsmouth's three designated rental inspection districts must notify the department of permits and inspections in writing within 60 days after 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…

Portsmouth runs two separate photo-enforcement programs: school-zone and highway-work-zone speed cameras under City Code § 22-832, adopted in 2023, carrying a $100.00 civil penalty for…

Portsmouth bans shared, for-hire mobility devices, e-scooters, motorized skateboards, motorized scooters, motorized bicycles and electric power-assisted bicycles, from its streets…

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…

Planting a tree or shrub on Portsmouth city property, including street rights-of-way and parkway strips, requires a permit from the director of parks, recreation and leisure services…

Portsmouth will credit part of a metered water bill caused by a hidden pipe leak, but only if the customer promptly repairs the leak and reports it in writing to the director of public…

Portsmouth taxes every transient's lodging bill at 8 percent of the total charge plus a flat $3.00 per room per night. The article expressly covers hotels, motels, tourist camps, and…

Every stage of permitted construction in Portsmouth has to pass inspection by the department of permits and inspections, or a building-official-designated third party, before work is…

Portsmouth requires periodic safety inspections on every elevator, dumbwaiter, moving stairway, moving walk and manlift in the city. City Code § 7-136 sets a six-month check plus…

Portsmouth requires automatic fire suppression systems in any building 50 feet or taller if the building permit was issued after July 1, 1986, under City Code § 13-1. The requirement…

Electrical work in Portsmouth needs its own permit and inspection under City Code § 7-133, with fees scaled by amperage: a flat minimum permit charge, per-50-ampere increments for new…

Portsmouth enforces the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code as its own building code, and City Code § 7-102 makes it a misdemeanor to start construction, alteration, repair or…

Portsmouth has no mandatory green building code; instead, Sec. 40.2-310 rewards voluntary LEED or Energy Star construction with zoning bonuses of up to 20 percent added density, 20-24…

Plumbing work in Portsmouth requires its own permit under City Code § 7-134, with the department of permits and inspections charging a base permit fee plus separate inspection fees for…

Once Portsmouth's building officials or health department notify a property owner that a residential building has unlawful levels of lead-based paint, the owner must tell prospective…

Portsmouth makes it unlawful to leave a box, barrel, trash can, storage container or any other obstruction in a street or right-of-way without a permit from the city engineer, under…

Anyone whose awning, sign, bay window, fence or other structure projects into a Portsmouth street or right-of-way needs an encroachment permit under Sec. 32-7. The city manager decides…

When Portsmouth builds, replaces or enlarges a sidewalk, city council can assess up to half the cost against the abutting property owner under Secs. 32-251 and 32-253. The owner gets…

Portsmouth's business license tax is assessed by classification under City Code Chapter 20, Article II: retail sales, personal services, financial and professional services, wholesale…

Portsmouth requires any occupant who discovers a code violation to report it immediately to the health director, and outside the city's three designated rental inspection districts the…

Portsmouth runs mandatory rental inspections in three council-designated rental inspection districts, checking dwelling units for compliance with building code standards that protect…

Portsmouth caps residential sales, garage, yard, attic, basement, porch or patio sales, at two permits per year for the same family and limits each sale to three consecutive days…

Anyone holding a parade in Portsmouth, a march, procession or motorcade that interferes with normal traffic on a public street, needs a written permit from the city manager under City…

A neighborhood block party that closes a Portsmouth street counts as a 'public assembly' under City Code § 22-12, so organizers need a written permit from the city manager before…

Restaurants in Portsmouth cannot put tables, chairs or planters on the public sidewalk without an outdoor dining area permit under Sec. 32-8. The city manager takes the application…

Portsmouth requires a director-issued permit before holding a meeting, exhibition, ceremony, or speech in a city park (Sec. 25-93), and a separate use permit under Sec. 25-90 for…

Portsmouth caps automatic changeable copy and LED signs at 1,500 nits during daylight and 150 nits at all other times, and bars digital displays from residential Household Living or…

Portsmouth limits window signs on any floor of a building to 20 percent of the window facade area, and bars illuminating a window sign from any source except one external to the sign.

Within 660 feet of any interstate right-of-way in Portsmouth, only official, on-premises and specific traveler-information signs are allowed under Article VII of Chapter 32, and even…

Virginia law prohibits all signs, including garage sale and yard sale notices, placed within the limits of any state highway right-of-way, with a $100 civil penalty per occurrence.

Virginia state law creates a 40-foot prohibited area around polling place entrances on election day where political signs and electioneering are forbidden statewide.

Portsmouth allows up to a 20 percent density bonus above the district maximum for new commercial, industrial, D1, and UR-M development that provides qualifying resilient site and…

Portsmouth's Downtown (D1) zoning district regulates building design across five sub-districts (T3 through T6 and SD) to protect the tourist corridors leading to the city's historic…

Portsmouth pawnbrokers must log every loan or purchase with the pledgor's identity and description of goods, file a daily report with the chief of police by noon the next day, and let…

Portsmouth restricts Adult Entertainment Establishments, defined to include adult hotels, motion picture arcades and theaters, cabarets, and sexual encounter centers, to a…

Portsmouth caps what a wrecker company can charge and runs a police-maintained rotation list for accident and traffic-hazard tows. The chief of police sets maximum towing and storage…

Portsmouth requires anyone dealing in junk or secondhand paper to pay an annual license tax under City Code § 20-22, while every secondhand dealer must keep daily purchase records and…

Portsmouth requires every body art studio, tattoo artist, and body piercer to hold an annual permit from the Portsmouth Health District under City Code § 3-301. Studios must be in…

Portsmouth's zoning code flatly excludes vehicle repair from the list of allowed home occupations. Sec. 40.2-217(I)(3)(g)(xii) and the Sec. 40.2-215 definition both bar residents from…

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.

Portsmouth's zoning ordinance sets yard setbacks by residential district in Table 40.2-218(1). In the Neighborhood Residential (NR) district, a home needs a 40-foot front yard, 10-foot…

Portsmouth zoning caps building coverage, the share of a lot covered by a structure's footprint plus attached porches, accessory buildings, decks, and balconies, at 45 percent in…

Portsmouth caps residential building height at 36 feet in the Neighborhood, General, and Urban Residential districts, rising to 45 feet for multi-family and other non-townhouse uses in…

Portsmouth bars anyone 17 or younger from public streets, sidewalks, parks and similar places between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. unless an exception applies. Officers return a…

Sec. 25-120 makes it unlawful to enter a Portsmouth city park during hours the parks director designates and posts as closed, without a permit. Police can also close an entire park for…

Portsmouth caps light spilling onto a neighboring lot line at 0.5 foot-candles next to residential uses, 1.0 next to public and institutional uses, and 2.0 next to commercial…

Portsmouth caps outdoor light fixture height at 16 feet in residential districts and 30 feet in commercial, mixed-use, and industrial districts, and requires fixtures over 60 watts or…

Portsmouth's housing code puts pest control on the occupant, not just the landlord: Sec. 17-34(4) makes every occupant responsible for eliminating infestation on the part of the…

Anyone who works in any capacity at a Portsmouth food establishment must first obtain a food service card from the city health director under § 15.1-19(a). Temporary cards last no more…

Portsmouth's zoning ordinance defines a historic landmark as a building or place of special public value for its architectural, archaeological, or cultural significance, and every…

Every door-to-door peddler in Portsmouth must buy a $500 annual license from the commissioner of the revenue, cannot park or stand in one street location more than ten minutes, and…

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

Portsmouth reviews an accessory solar energy project through the same Site Plan or Zoning Permit process as other accessory uses, and before installation requires the applicant to sign…

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…

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…

Virginia law allows adults 21 and older to cultivate up to four marijuana plants per household for personal use, with statewide rules localities cannot prohibit but may regulate via…

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 preempts most local drone regulation, reserving aircraft operation rules to the state and FAA, while criminalizing surveillance overflights and trespass-style use against…

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…

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 § 55.1-1816 requires HOA board meetings to be open to all members of record, with published notice and a member right to record open portions; closed executive sessions are…

Virginia's § 55.1-1819 empowers a property owners' association to adopt and enforce rules governing the development, including architectural and use restrictions in the recorded…

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…

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 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…