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Lynchburg, VA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)

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

Short-term rental permit rules in Lynchburg, VA, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.

Key Facts

Registration deadline
July 1 annually
Registration fee
$150.00 one-time, per form
Late penalty
$500.00 for missing the deadline
Who registers
owner, managing agent, or authorized representative
Adopted
Ord. No. O-19-040, October 8, 2019

Summary

Every Lynchburg short-term rental host must register the dwelling with the Zoning Administrator by July 1 each year and pay a one-time $150 processing fee under Sec. 35.2-71.16(a). Missing the deadline draws a $500 penalty under subsection (b), and returning hosts must refresh contact information annually.

(a)On or before July 1 of each year, the owner or managing agent, or a duly authorized representative acting on behalf of the owner or managing agent, shall register the address of any dwelling unit to be used for short term rental. The form used for registration may include multiple addresses under single ownership. Every person filing registration forms with the Zoning Administrator shall pay a one-time registration fee of $150.00 per form to defray the cost of processing the registration. ... (b)Any person who fails to register a building to be used as a short term rental by the July 1 deadline shall be subject to a penalty of $500.00.

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 10).

Full Breakdown

Lynchburg treats a short-term rental registration, not a discretionary permit, as the gateway to operating under Sec. 16(a). On or before July 1 of each year, the owner, managing agent, or an authorized representative must register the address of every dwelling unit offered as a short-term rental with the Zoning Administrator; a single registration form can cover multiple addresses held under one ownership. 00 fee per form, charged to defray the City's cost of processing the registration, and the same July 1 deadline applies to owners of rentals already operating, who must submit updated contact information annually even if nothing else about the listing has changed.

00 penalty for any person who fails to register a short-term rental building on time. Registration is layered on top of, not a substitute for, the building-code compliance required by subsection (d), which requires every short-term rental to meet the Uniform Statewide Building Code. The ordinance took effect under Ord. No. O-19-040, § 1, adopted October 8, 2019, and the registry gives the City the contact information it uses to enforce the three-violation revocation standard in subsection (e).

Violations & Fines

Operating a short-term rental without registering by the July 1 deadline draws a $500.00 penalty per subsection (b). Registering late does not erase the penalty already incurred for the prior deadline, and an unregistered rental that keeps operating remains exposed to additional zoning enforcement while the City has no verified contact information for the owner.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to register a short-term rental in Lynchburg?
The Zoning Administrator charges a one-time $150.00 fee per registration form under Sec. 35.2-71.16(a). One form can list multiple addresses if they share the same owner, so a host with several units under one name pays the fee once per form, not once per address.
When is the annual short-term rental registration due?
On or before July 1 of each year. New hosts must register by that date before renting the unit, and hosts already registered must still submit updated contact information to the City by the same July 1 deadline every year under Sec. 35.2-71.16(a).
What is the penalty for missing the registration deadline?
A flat $500.00 fine under Sec. 35.2-71.16(b) applies to any owner who fails to register a short-term rental building by the July 1 deadline. The fine is assessed per property and does not depend on how many days past the deadline the late registration is eventually filed with the Zoning Administrator.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Lynchburg

All Lynchburg rules

How Lynchburg compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·Compare Lynchburg to another location·View the Virginia short-term rentals overview

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