Norfolk, VA Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)
Key Facts
- Notification deadline
- 60 days after district created/expanded
- Civil penalty
- $50 per 30-day period of noncompliance
- Inspection scheduling deadline
- 30 days after notification
- Title-transfer notice deadline
- 30 days after transfer
Summary
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 fifty-dollar civil penalty for every thirty days of delay after being warned.
(a)Every owner of a residential rental dwelling unit located within a rental inspection district shall notify the codes compliance office, in writing, within sixty (60) days after the creation or expansion of a rental inspection district, if the owner's dwelling unit is used for residential rental purposes.(b)Failure of an owner of a residential rental dwelling unit subject to a residential rental inspection to comply with the above-written notification requirement in subsection (a) will result in a civil penalty of fifty dollars ($50.00) for every thirty-day period of failure to give notice. However, there shall be no penalty for the failure of an owner of a residential rental dwelling unit to comply with the written notification provision, unless and until the codes compliance office provides personal or written notice to the property owner. For purposes of this section, notice sent by regular first class mail to the last known address of the owner as shown on the current real estate tax assessment books or current real estate tax assessment records shall be deemed to comply with this requirement.(c)Within thirty (30) days of giving the notification required under subsection (a), the owner of the residential rental dwelling unit shall contact the codes compliance office and arrange for an initial inspection.(d)The owner of any residential rental dwelling unit shall within thirty (30) days of title transfer notify the codes compliance office of the change of ownership.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 166).
Full Breakdown
1-4 of the Norfolk Code creates the notification duty that functions as the city's rental registration requirement within its designated inspection districts. An owner of a residential rental dwelling unit located in a rental inspection district must notify the codes compliance office in writing within sixty days after a district is created or expanded, confirming the unit is used for residential rental purposes. Failure to give that notice triggers a civil penalty of fifty dollars for every thirty-day period the owner remains noncompliant, but only after the codes compliance office has given the owner personal or written notice of the requirement; notice mailed first class to the address on the current real estate tax assessment records counts as compliant service.
Once an owner gives the required notification, Sec. 1-4(c) requires the owner to contact the codes compliance office within thirty days to arrange the initial inspection. 1-4(d) separately requires an owner to notify the codes compliance office within thirty days of any transfer of title to the rental unit, keeping district ownership records current as properties change hands.
Violations & Fines
Failure to notify the codes compliance office that a unit is a rental, after the office has given written or personal notice of the requirement, carries a civil penalty of fifty dollars for each thirty-day period of continued noncompliance (Sec. 36.1-4(b)). The penalty is civil, not criminal, and only begins accruing after formal notice from the office; there is no fine for a first, unnoticed lapse.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to register my rental with the city of Norfolk?
What happens if I miss the rental notification deadline?
Do I need to notify the city when I sell a rental property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Norfolk
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