Virginia Beach does not impose a primary-residence-only rule citywide. The Sandbridge Special Service District has long permitted investor-owned vacation rentals as a core part of the local tourism economy.
Unlike many coastal cities, Virginia Beach treats the Sandbridge District as a vacation-rental zone where second homes and investor properties may operate as STRs by right. Outside Sandbridge and the Resort Area Overlay, STRs typically require a conditional-use permit, but the application is not limited to primary residences. Per VA Code §15.2-983, localities cannot ban STRs outright without a registry, so Virginia Beach relies on zoning to channel rental activity into appropriate districts rather than imposing residency tests.
Operating outside an STR-permitted district without a conditional-use permit can result in zoning citations, daily fines, and forced cessation of rental activity.
Virginia Beach, VA
Virginia Beach requires every short-term rental outside of the Sandbridge Special Service District to obtain a Conditional Use Permit from the City Council a...
Virginia Beach, VA
Virginia Beach generally does not require an STR operator to live onsite, except where overlay districts or conditional-use permit conditions specifically de...
See how Virginia Beach's primary-residence-only rule rules stack up against other locations.
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