Richmond's short-term rental ordinance generally restricts STR operation to the host's primary residence, limiting the rise of investor-owned ghost hotels and concentrating tourism rentals among owner-occupants.
Under RVA zoning Chapter 30 and Chapter 44, short-term rentals must operate from the operator's primary residence in most residential districts. Hosts must register annually with the City and prove primary occupancy, typically through voter registration, driver's license, or tax records. Non-owner-occupied investor units face additional zoning hurdles, special use permits, or are flat-out prohibited in many districts. Virginia §15.2-983 explicitly authorizes localities to require STR registration, providing the legal hook for Richmond's primary-residence framework. Operators caught violating face zoning enforcement and registration revocation.
Operating a non-primary-residence STR without proper zoning approval triggers civil penalties, registration denial or revocation, and zoning enforcement.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Richmond, VA
Richmond's zoning and property maintenance codes do not restrict residential lawn ornaments, statuary, or religious displays at single-family homes. Politica...
Richmond, VA
Richmond has no specific city ordinance regulating residential inflatable holiday displays. Restrictions come from HOA and condo covenants under Virginia's P...
Richmond, VA
Richmond has no citywide ordinance restricting residential holiday lights at single-family homes. Real restrictions arise from HOA and condo covenants under ...
Richmond, VA
Outdoor kitchens in Richmond require separate trade permits from PDR Building Permits: building permit for structural elements, mechanical permit for gas lin...
Richmond, VA
Richmond has no specific city ordinance regulating residential offset smokers, pellet grills, or wood-fired pizza ovens at single-family homes. Multi-unit re...
Richmond, VA
Richmond enforces the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code (VSFPC), which adopts the 2018 International Fire Code. IFC §308.1.4 prohibits open-flame cooki...
See how Richmond's primary-residence-only rule rules stack up against other locations.
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