Newport News, VA Short-Term Rentals: Primary-Residence-Only Rule (2026)
Key Facts
- Eligibility test
- owner's primary residence, 185+ days/year
- Proof accepted
- driver's license or voter registration
- Multi-family developments
- separate 10% cap, no residency test
- Verification
- zoning administrator may inspect on complaint
- Revocation grounds
- misrepresentation, tax delinquency, non-cooperation
- Reapplication bar
- 2 years after revocation
Summary
Newport News only allows a single-family or multiple-family dwelling unit to operate as a short-term rental if the property owner uses it as a genuine primary residence, defined in City Code § 45-517.1(a)(1)a as living there at least 185 days a year. An investment property the owner does not personally live in most of the year cannot qualify.
The dwelling unit is used by the property owner as his/her primary residence, which means that he/she resides there for at least one hundred eighty-five (185) days during each year;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 81).
Full Breakdown
' A whole-house rental where the owner lives elsewhere, or a property purchased purely as an investment and never occupied by the owner, does not meet this definition regardless of how the owner markets it. 1(c)(1)a requires the applicant to submit proof of permanent residence at the property, accepting a driver's license or voter registration card showing the property address, or other equivalent documentation the department of planning approves. 1(a)(2): a building with more than two units held in common ownership may instead rent out whole units, without an owner-occupancy test, capped at 10 percent of the development's total units, with ownership proven through corporate or LLC formation documents rather than a driver's license.
Once certified, the zoning administrator can re-verify a single-family or multiple-family owner's continued primary residency during a complaint investigation by entering the dwelling on reasonable advance notice, and delinquency in real estate taxes or city charges on the property is a separate, independent ground the code lists for denying or revoking the certificate.
Violations & Fines
Misrepresenting primary residency to obtain a certificate of zoning compliance is grounds for revocation under § 45-517.1(c)(6)b, and an owner whose certificate is revoked cannot reapply for that property for two years. Refusing to let the zoning administrator verify residency during a complaint investigation, per § 45-517.1(c)(6)c, and delinquency in real estate taxes or utility fees, per § 45-517.1(c)(6)d, are independent, separate revocation grounds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I short-term rent a house in Newport News that I don't live in?
What proof does Newport News require that a short-term rental is my primary home?
Does the primary-residence rule apply to short-term rentals in apartment buildings?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Newport News
Compare Newport News to another location·View the Virginia short-term rentals overview
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