Newport News, VA Short-Term Rentals: Primary-Residence-Only Rule (2026)

Section 45-517.1(a)(1)a is the eligibility gate for short-term rentals of single-family and multiple-family dwelling units: '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.' 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. To prove eligibility, § 45-517.1(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.

The primary-residence gate does not apply the same way to multiple-family developments under § 45-517.1(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.