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

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

Key Facts

Maximum stay length
14 consecutive days
Rental basis allowed
Daily or weekly only
Applies to
Bed and breakfast and homestay
Governing section
City Code § 36.2-405(b)(5), (c)(3), (d)(3)

Summary

A Roanoke bed and breakfast or homestay can only rent rooms on a daily or weekly basis, and no single guest stay may run longer than 14 days. The cap under Section 36.2-405 keeps home-share and bed and breakfast uses distinct from month-to-month rentals or accessory apartments.

(5)Rooms shall be rented on a daily or weekly basis. Stays shall not exceed fourteen (14) days....(3)Rooms shall be rented only on a daily or weekly basis. Stays shall not exceed fourteen (14) days.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 94 Update 1).

Full Breakdown

Roanoke's zoning code treats short-term, home-share style lodging as fundamentally different from a long-term rental or an accessory dwelling, and it draws that line with a duration rule rather than a use-intensity rule. ' Subsection (c)(3) repeats the same daily-or-weekly, 14-day ceiling for bed and breakfasts operating in the MX and CN districts. ' Because the code caps every qualifying stay at two weeks, an operator cannot use a bed and breakfast or homestay permit to house an extended-stay guest for a month or longer; anything beyond 14 consecutive days falls outside the use as zoned and would need to be evaluated under the City's residential rental or accessory-dwelling rules instead, which carry different owner-occupancy and permitting requirements.

The duration limit runs alongside, but is legally separate from, the guest-occupancy caps in subsections (b)(4) and (d)(2) and the host-presence requirement in subsection (d)(4), so a booking can comply with the headcount and still violate the ordinance if the stay itself runs past 14 days.

Violations & Fines

Renting past the 14-day cap is a zoning violation under Section 36.2-571. The Zoning Administrator can issue written notice ordering the booking practice corrected, and continuing to book stays longer than 14 days after notice is a misdemeanor under Virginia Code Section 15.2-2286.A.5, with each day of the violation charged as a separate offense.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I book a Roanoke homestay for a full month?
No. Section 36.2-405(d)(3) limits homestay rentals to a daily or weekly basis and caps every stay at 14 days, so a host cannot legally book a guest for 30 days under the homestay use; a longer arrangement falls outside what the zoning code permits for that use.
Does the 14-day cap apply to bed and breakfasts in commercial districts too?
Yes. Section 36.2-405(c)(3) applies the same daily-or-weekly rental basis and 14-day maximum stay to bed and breakfasts operating in the MX and CN districts as subsection (b)(5) applies to those in residential districts, so the duration limit does not loosen in a commercial zone.
What happens if a guest stays longer than 14 days at a Roanoke bed and breakfast?
The rental exceeds what Section 36.2-405 authorizes for that use and becomes a zoning violation once the Zoning Administrator identifies it. The operator would need written notice to correct the practice, and repeated overstays can be charged as a separate misdemeanor offense for each day the violation continues.

Sources & Official References

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