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

The zoning table sets short-term rental as a permitted (P) use in most residential and commercial districts but a special-exception (S) use in others, meaning an operator must first confirm which approval path applies to the property before renting. Sec. 2-405 sets supplemental standards on top of that use classification. A homestay, defined as renting part of a dwelling unit for less than a full separate unit, is capped at two guest bedrooms and four total guests, limited to one homestay per property, restricted to daily or weekly bookings with stays no longer than fourteen days, and requires the owner or leaseholder to occupy the property during every guest stay.

Bed-and-breakfast establishments in residential districts must be the accessory use on a lot where a single-family dwelling is the principal use, the owner must reside in the dwelling, no more than six guest sleeping rooms and twelve guest occupants are allowed, exterior changes must preserve the residential character of the building, and only one non-illuminated sign of up to two square feet is permitted. In the MX and CN commercial districts, bed-and-breakfasts may expand to ten rental bedrooms with an on-site owner or manager and may add a meeting hall as an accessory use.

Roanoke's zoning code defines 'short-term rental' separately as any dwelling offered to transient guests for less than thirty days, distinguishing it from the longer homestay and bed-and-breakfast categories that this same section regulates.