Loudoun County, VA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in Loudoun County, VA, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- Registers with
- Dept. of Building and Development
- Frequency
- Annual
- Fee
- None
- Coverage
- Unincorporated county only, not towns
- Unregistered penalty
- $500 per violation, up to $5,000
Summary
Anyone renting a Loudoun County home outside the incorporated towns for stays under 30 days must annually register the property with the Department of Building and Development under County Code Chapter 1470. Registration requires the operator's name, mailing address, phone, email, and every rental address. The county charges no registration fee, but certain licensed operators are exempt.
There is hereby established a short-term residential rental registry for operators with property offered or used as short-term residential rental within the County and outside of any incorporated towns within the County. An operator offering or using a property as a short-term residential rental shall annually register such property in the short-term residential rental registry maintained by the Loudoun County Department of Building and Development. The operator of each property offered as a short-term residential rental must annually provide to the County the complete name and contact information of the operator and the address of each property in the county offered as a short-term residential rental by such operator. Contact information shall include mailing address, telephone numbers and email address. The County will not impose a registration fee.
Full Breakdown
Loudoun County created its short-term residential rental registry through Chapter 1470 of the Codified Ordinances, adopted by Ordinance 18-09 on May 1, 2018, under the authority of Va. 2-983. The chapter defines a short-term residential rental as any room or space rented for dwelling, sleeping, or lodging purposes for fewer than 30 consecutive days, and an 'operator' as whoever offers it: owner, lessee, sub-lessee, mortgagee in possession, or licensee. 02 applies only to property offered in the unincorporated county and outside any of Loudoun's incorporated towns; it is annual, must list the operator's full contact information plus the address of every rental property that operator runs, and carries no county fee.
03 exempts operators already licensed or registered through another regulatory channel: Virginia-licensed real estate professionals and property owners represented by one, timeshare registrants under the Virginia Real Estate Time-Share Act, providers registered with the Virginia Department of Health, and anyone already licensed or registered with Loudoun County as a real estate, hotel, motel, campground, or bed-and-breakfast operator. 05, administers and enforces the registry and sends required written notices by mail. Because incorporated towns such as Leesburg, Purcellville, Hamilton, Middleburg, Round Hill, Hillsboro, and Lovettsville operate their own municipal codes, a short-term rental physically located inside one of those towns is not covered by this county registry.
Violations & Fines
Operating an unregistered short-term rental after written notice draws a $500 penalty per violation, capped at $5,000, under § 1470.04(a); each day of continued unregistered use after notice counts as a separate offense. The operator cannot resume renting until the penalty is paid and the property is registered, though the Director of Building and Development may waive the fine if the failure to register was not the operator's fault.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to register a rental I only list for a few weekends a year?
Is there a registration fee?
Am I exempt if a licensed Realtor manages my rental?
Does this registry cover my rental in downtown Leesburg?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Loudoun County
How Loudoun County compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·Compare Loudoun County to another location·View the Virginia short-term rentals overview
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