Lynchburg, VA Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

Lynchburg's Zoning Ordinance authorizes short-term rentals by right in the R-C, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, B-1, B-3, B-4, B-5 and IN-2 districts, but only under the occupancy cap fixed by Sec. 16(c): no more than four unrelated individuals may occupy a dwelling unit offered as a short-term rental at one time. The rule works differently for families sharing a unit: when two or more related people occupy the rental together, the code allows just one additional person who is not related to them to also stay there, rather than stacking four unrelated guests on top of a family group.

The section also caps the number of dwelling units that can be marketed as short-term rentals on a single lot, tying that count to whatever the underlying zoning district already permits for dwelling units. The Zoning Administrator enforces the occupancy limit alongside the registration and building-code provisions in the same section, and exceeding it counts as one of the violations that can trigger the three-strikes revocation process under subsection (e). The ordinance was adopted by Ord. No. O-19-040, § 1, on October 8, 2019, and applies citywide to any dwelling unit registered as a short-term rental.