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Charlottesville, VA Short-Term Rentals: Extended Home Share (2026)

Some Restrictions

Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

What can be rented: whole unit or just a portion
Host requirement: owner must live there permanently
Meals to guests: cannot be prepared or served
Exterior signage: not permitted
Permit required: same Accessory Use Permit as any homestay

Summary

Charlottesville's Homestay rule lets an owner-occupant hire out lodging in the whole dwelling or in just a portion of it, such as a single room, under the same Accessory Use Permit framework, but the owner may never prepare or serve food to the guests.

1. Allows for an individual who owns a dwelling unit and uses it as their permanent residence to hire out as lodging the dwelling unit or any portion of the dwelling unit. ... ... 6. Food cannot be prepared for or served to the guests of the homestay by the owner or the owner's agents or contractors.

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Full Breakdown

1 defines Homestay broadly: it allows an individual who owns a dwelling unit and uses it as their permanent residence to hire out as lodging the dwelling unit or any portion of the dwelling unit. That single definition covers both a whole-house short-term rental and a more limited home-share arrangement where the owner keeps living there and rents out only a room or floor to overnight guests; the Development Code does not split these into separate use categories or separate permits. 2. 6 prohibits the owner or the owner's agents or contractors from preparing or serving food to homestay guests, so a bed-and-breakfast style meal service is off the table even for a small room-share arrangement. 4, keeping a room-share indistinguishable from the exterior of any other residence on the block.

Violations & Fines

Serving meals to guests, or advertising a room-share homestay with exterior signage, breaches Sections 3.5.2.E.4 and E.6 regardless of whether the whole unit or only a portion is being rented, and is grounds for the Administrator to find the Accessory Use Permit out of compliance under Section 3.5.2.E.10.b.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I rent out just one room in my Charlottesville home instead of the whole house?

Yes. Development Code Section 3.5.2.E.1 defines a homestay as hiring out lodging in the dwelling unit or any portion of the dwelling unit, so renting a single room to overnight guests qualifies the same as renting the entire home, as long as you hold the Accessory Use Permit and still live there as your permanent residence.

Can I offer breakfast or meals to my home-share guests?

No. Section 3.5.2.E.6 bars the owner or the owner's agents and contractors from preparing or serving food to homestay guests, so a bed-and-breakfast style meal service is not allowed under this use.

Do I need a different permit to rent part of my home versus the whole thing?

No separate category exists. A whole-unit stay and a portion-of-unit stay are both treated as the same Homestay accessory use and need one Accessory Use Permit under Section 3.5.2.E, with identical ownership, occupancy and guest-count rules applying either way.

Sources & Official References

[1]Charlottesville Development Code

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