Hampton, VA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in Hampton, VA, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- Business license required
- Commissioner of Revenue
- Registry compliance window
- 30 days of city notice
- Governing section
- Zoning Ord. § 3-3(29)(b)
- Separate from
- Use/admin permit itself
Summary
Hampton short-term rental operators must hold a Commissioner of Revenue business license, and must register the property with the city's short-term rental registry once it takes effect.
The short-term rental shall obtain and maintain all applicable licenses prior to operating the short-term rental use, including but not limited to, obtaining a business license with the Commissioner of Revenue...Upon the City implementing a short-term rental registry, the operator of the short-term rental shall, within thirty (30) days of notice given by the City, register the property and keep registration up-to-date.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 31 | Zoning: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
Hampton Zoning Ordinance § 3-3(29)(b)(xi)-(xii), operative as amended through November 2025, requires a short-term rental to obtain and maintain all applicable licenses before operating, including a business license from the Commissioner of Revenue. The same subsection requires that once the city implements a short-term rental registry, the operator must register the property within 30 days of the city's notice and keep that registration current. This licensing/registry duty runs alongside, and is separate from, the zoning administrator permit or Use Permit needed to operate the use at all.
Violations & Fines
Operating without the required Commissioner of Revenue business license, or failing to register or keep a registration current once the city's STR registry takes effect, is a zoning administrator permit violation and can trigger permit revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Hampton short-term rental need a business license?
Do I have to register my short-term rental with the city?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hampton
How Hampton compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·Compare Hampton to another location·View the Virginia short-term rentals overview
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