Albemarle County, VA Short-Term Rentals: Repeat Violator Strikes (2026)
Key Facts
- Strike threshold
- More than 3 violations
- Scope of violations counted
- State law + County ordinances re: STR
- Consequence
- Permanent ban on that property
- Per-day penalty
- $500.00 for unregistered operation
- Enforcement
- Dept. of Community Development
Summary
An Albemarle County short-term rental operator who racks up more than three violations of state law or county rules tied to a specific property is permanently barred from offering that property as a short-term rental again, under County Code § 7-603(B).
A.Nonregistration penalty. Any operator required to register who offers for short-term rental a property that is not registered with the County is subject to a penalty of $500.00 per violation. Each day that an unregistered property is offered for short-term rental constitutes a separate violation. Unless and until an operator pays the penalty and registers the property, the operator may not continue to offer the property for short-term rental. Upon repeated violations of this Article pertaining to the same property the operator shall be prohibited from registering and offering that property for short-term rental.B.Multiple violations. An operator required to register shall be prohibited from offering a specific property for short-term rental upon more than three violations of applicable State laws or any County ordinances or regulations, as they relate to the short-term rental.
Full Breakdown
County Code § 7-603 sets the penalty structure for the short-term rental registry. 00 penalty per violation and providing that upon repeated violations of the article pertaining to the same property the operator shall be prohibited from registering and offering that property for short-term rental. Subsection (B) supplies the specific strike count: an operator required to register shall be prohibited from offering a specific property for short-term rental upon more than three violations of applicable State laws or any County ordinances or regulations, as they relate to the short-term rental.
The strike count is tied to the property and to violations "as they relate to the short-term rental," so it is not limited to registration lapses alone; it can include other state or county rules bearing on the rental's operation. Once the fourth qualifying violation occurs, the bar on that specific property is triggered regardless of whether the operator later tries to cure the underlying issue. The Department of Community Development administers the registry and its enforcement under § 7-604, including imposing these penalties and tracking violation counts against registered properties.
Because the ban attaches to the property rather than only to the individual named as operator, a change in who manages the unit does not by itself reset the violation count against that address.
Violations & Fines
A first unregistered-rental violation costs $500.00 and each additional day of unregistered operation is a separate $500.00 violation under § 7-603(A). Once an operator accumulates more than three violations of state or county rules tied to short-term rental use of a specific property, § 7-603(B) prohibits that property from being offered for short-term rental at all, a bar the registry administrator enforces going forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many strikes before Albemarle County bans a short-term rental property?
Does the strike count reset if I sell the property or change managers?
What kinds of violations count toward the three-strike short-term rental ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Albemarle County
Compare Albemarle County to another location·View the Virginia short-term rentals overview
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