Short-term rental permit rules in Suffolk, VA — also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration — list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Suffolk has no standalone short-term rental permit. Its zoning ordinance never lists a short-term rental use; transient lodging under 30 days is regulated as a Bed and Breakfast under UDO Section 31-703, which must be owner-occupied and needs a conditional use permit in most residential districts.
Suffolk's Unified Development Ordinance does not recognize a distinct short-term rental use in its Table 406-1 use chart. The governing use for renting rooms to transients is Bed and Breakfast under Section 31-703, permitted by right only in the RU, RU-12, RU-18, and business districts and requiring a conditional use permit in the RR, RE, RL, RLM, RM, and RC residential districts. A bed and breakfast must be owner-occupied under Section 31-703(h), keep all guest rooms within the principal dwelling, and cap stays at 30 days. Operators also need a city business license and must collect the transient occupancy tax.
Operating transient lodging without the required conditional use permit or business license is a zoning and licensing violation enforced by Suffolk Community Development. Unpaid occupancy tax is separately a Class 1 misdemeanor under Section 82-525.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Suffolk's permit requirements rules stack up against other locations.
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