Virginia Ordinances (2026)

Virginia authorizes localities to permit accessory dwelling units within single-family zones, with the Uniform Statewide Building Code governing construction standards uniformly across all jurisdictions.

The Uniform Statewide Building Code sets construction standards for carports, with permits required for permanent structures and statewide preemption of stricter local building rules.

Virginia's Uniform Statewide Building Code mandates uniform conversion standards for garages becoming habitable space, preempting local construction requirements but allowing local zoning oversight.

Virginia's Uniform Statewide Building Code exempts sheds under 256 square feet from building permits statewide, preempting any stricter local permit requirements.

Virginia regulates tiny homes through the Uniform Statewide Building Code and IRC Appendix Q, preempting local construction standards while leaving placement and zoning to localities.

Virginia Code Section 3.2-6503 requires every owner to provide adequate care for companion animals, with criminal penalties for neglect that often underpin hoarding cases.

Virginia regulates beekeeping at the state level via Title 3.2 Chapter 44, including voluntary registration and Right-to-Farm protection on agricultural land.

Virginia state law preempts breed-specific legislation by prohibiting any locality from declaring a dog dangerous solely on the basis of breed.

Virginia's Right to Farm Act limits how localities can restrict livestock and poultry kept as production agriculture in agriculturally zoned districts.

Virginia authorizes localities to prohibit dogs running at large, while imposing statewide rules on dangerous dogs that must be leashed and muzzled outside.

Virginia regulates importation, possession, and sale of nonnative exotic animals through state wildlife regulations administered by the Department of Wildlife Resources.

Virginia prohibits baiting wildlife for hunting and lets localities ban deer feeding, while bear feeding bans are addressed through hunting and Department regulations.

The Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code supersedes local construction standards for foundations, materials, and structural design, leaving zoning height limits to localities.

Virginia law allows adults 21 and older to cultivate up to four marijuana plants per household for personal use, with statewide rules localities cannot prohibit but may regulate via standard property nuisance laws.

Virginia authorizes localities to enact juvenile curfew ordinances under specific enabling statutes, with state law setting maximum penalties and constitutional safeguards uniformly.

Commercial drone operators in Virginia follow FAA Part 107 rules and are shielded from most local regulation under state preemption, with limited exceptions for locality-owned property and specific privacy crimes.

Virginia preempts most local drone regulation, reserving aircraft operation rules to the state and FAA, while criminalizing surveillance overflights and trespass-style use against private individuals.

Virginia Code 40.1-28.10 sets a statewide minimum wage that exceeds the federal floor and preempts localities from establishing their own higher minimum wage rates for private sector workers.

Virginia Code 40.1-33.3 et seq. requires paid sick leave only for certain home health workers; no general statewide paid leave mandate exists, and broad local paid leave ordinances face preemption.

Virginia has no statewide predictive scheduling law, and Dillon Rule limits leave localities without authority to impose fair workweek or scheduling premium ordinances on private employers.

The Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act mandates 100-foot vegetated buffers along tidal waters and tributaries in 84 covered Tidewater localities, with state-set criteria local ordinances must meet or exceed.

Virginia's Erosion and Sediment Control Law requires erosion plans and approved control measures for regulated land-disturbing activities, with technical standards uniform across all local programs.

Virginia coordinates floodplain management statewide through DCR, requiring localities to adopt floodplain ordinances meeting National Flood Insurance Program minimums for residents to access federal flood insurance.

Virginia's Stormwater Management Act sets uniform technical criteria for post-construction stormwater controls that all localities operating Virginia Stormwater Management Programs must enforce on regulated land-disturbing activities.

The Virginia USBC exempts fences six feet or shorter from building permits statewide, but localities may still require zoning permits for placement and height.

The Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code requires a 48-inch barrier around residential swimming pools and spas, preempting local pool fencing rules statewide.

Virginia prohibits the sale, possession, or use of most aerial and explosive fireworks statewide, restricting consumers to ground-based novelties such as sparklers, fountains, and pharaoh serpents under uniform Code provisions.

Virginia prohibits outdoor burning before 4 PM from February 15 through April 30 each year when fire is within 300 feet of woods, brushland, or fields containing dry grass under the statewide 4 PM Burning Law.

Virginia adopts the Statewide Fire Prevention Code applying uniform NFPA 58 propane storage and handling standards across all jurisdictions, regulating tank placement, capacity, and installation requirements consistently.

Virginia grants the State Forester emergency authority to declare wildfire conditions, prohibit outdoor burning, close forest lands, and recover suppression costs from negligent parties under uniform statewide statutes.

Virginia issues concealed handgun permits under Code 18.2-308.01 through 18.2-308.014, with shall-issue standards administered by circuit courts; localities cannot impose additional concealed carry requirements.

Virginia preempts most local firearm regulation under Code 15.2-915, but a 2020 amendment lets localities restrict firearms in specific public buildings, parks, recreation centers, and permitted events.

Virginia generally permits open carry of firearms by adults without a permit, though Code 18.2-287.4 restricts certain loaded high-capacity weapons in named public areas of larger localities.

Virginia Code 18.2-308 lets adults transport firearms in personal vehicles, with concealed handguns in a closed compartment lawful without a permit; localities are preempted by Code 15.2-915.

Mobile food units operating in Virginia must obtain a permit from the Virginia Department of Health under uniform statewide food regulations.

Virginia exempts certain home-produced non-potentially-hazardous foods from licensing and inspection when sold directly to consumers under labeling rules, with statewide standards that local health departments cannot expand.

Virginia requires state licensing for family day homes caring for five or more unrelated children, preempting local rules on capacity, ratios, training, and background checks across all jurisdictions.

Code 40.1-11.2 requires every Virginia state agency and any employer with more than an enumerated workforce performing public contracts over $50,000 to enroll in and use the federal E-Verify program for new hires.

Code 19.2-83.7 requires Virginia jails to notify ICE before releasing inmates subject to detainers, while 2020 reforms barred state agencies from inquiring into immigration status for service eligibility absent legal requirement.

Virginia Code authorizes localities to enact grass and weed height ordinances on occupied lots, with abatement powers granted by the General Assembly under Dillon's Rule.

Virginia statute encourages rainwater harvesting and graywater reuse, providing income tax credits and exempting most residential systems from plumbing-permit complexity, applied uniformly statewide.

Virginia limits tree-removal regulation to localities meeting specific air-quality or population thresholds, preempting blanket tree-protection ordinances elsewhere through Dillon's Rule.

The State Water Control Board administers statewide drought response and surface water withdrawal permits, with localities authorized to impose additional conservation rules during declared shortages.

Virginia authorizes localities to abate weeds and declares specified noxious weeds under state agricultural law, balancing local enforcement with statewide pest control.

Virginia localities cannot regulate aircraft noise in flight because federal aviation law preempts the field, leaving the FAA in sole control of aircraft operations and noise above the ground.

Virginia state law caps civil penalties for noise ordinance violations at $250 for first offense and $500 for repeat offenses, binding every locality statewide.

Virginia statutes define abandoned vehicles, authorize removal from public and private property, and govern the lien, sale, and titling process that localities must follow when impounding unattended vehicles.

Virginia law prohibits homeowner and condominium associations from banning electric vehicle charging stations on a unit owner's exclusive-use property, though associations may impose reasonable conditions on installation and operation.

Virginia authorizes localities to require removal or repair of derelict and blighted buildings under specific state statutes that define the scope and process.

The Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act sets uniform eviction grounds and notice periods statewide, preempting local just-cause ordinances under Dillon's Rule.

Virginia preempts local rent control because Dillon's Rule denies localities authority to regulate rents, and the General Assembly has not delegated this power to any city or county.

Virginia limits municipal rental inspection programs to designated blighted districts and requires specific procedural standards, preempting blanket rental registration ordinances.

Virginia Code 15.2-2288 and 15.2-2288.3 limit how localities may zone agricultural land, preserving by-right production and restricting special use permit requirements for bona fide farms.

Virginia Code 3.2-301 establishes the Right to Farm Act, shielding established agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits and limiting local ordinances that would restrict bona fide farming activities.

Virginia authorizes localities to require short-term rental registration and establishes a statewide framework allowing zoning permits, fees, and conditions for transient occupancy properties offered for fewer than thirty consecutive days.

Virginia imposes a state sales tax and authorizes local transient occupancy taxes on short-term rentals, with platform collection responsibilities and accommodations intermediary rules applied uniformly statewide.

Virginia law prohibits all signs, including garage sale and yard sale notices, placed within the limits of any state highway right-of-way, with a $100 civil penalty per occurrence.

Virginia state law creates a 40-foot prohibited area around polling place entrances on election day where political signs and electioneering are forbidden statewide.

Virginia Code 58.1-1745 authorizes counties and cities to impose a 5-cent tax on disposable plastic bags provided at grocery stores, convenience stores, and drugstores within their borders.

Virginia Code 10.1-1424.4 phases out expanded polystyrene single-use food service containers, with chain restaurants required to comply by July 1, 2025 and all food vendors by July 1, 2026.

Virginia has no statewide plastic straw ban; straws remain available on request, and localities have limited authority to regulate single-use service items beyond state environmental statutes.

Virginia law generally prevents HOAs from prohibiting solar energy collection devices unless the recorded declaration explicitly contains the prohibition.

Solar panel installations in Virginia require permits issued locally but governed by the statewide Uniform Statewide Building Code and electrical code.

Virginia enforces the federal Do Not Call Registry and the state Telephone Privacy Protection Act, prohibiting most unsolicited telephone solicitations to registered numbers and regulating commercial calling practices statewide.

Above-ground pools in Virginia fall under the same USBC barrier and permit standards as in-ground pools when capable of holding 24 inches or more of water.

Virginia's USBC adopts the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, mandating uniform 48-inch barrier and self-latching gate standards for residential pools.

Hot tubs and spas in Virginia must meet USBC electrical, bonding, and cover requirements that supersede conflicting local construction rules.

Pool construction permits in Virginia are governed statewide by the Uniform Statewide Building Code, which preempts conflicting local building rules.

Pool safety equipment, anti-entrapment, and barrier rules are set statewide under Virginia's adoption of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code.

Virginia Code 18.2-371.2 prohibits selling tobacco, nicotine, and vapor products to anyone under 21, with active duty military members 18 and over exempted under state law.

Virginia has not enacted a statewide ban on flavored tobacco or menthol products; sales remain lawful to adults 21 and over subject to general tobacco regulations under Code 18.2-371.2.

Virginia requires retail tobacco and liquid nicotine sellers to comply with state licensing under Code 58.1-1021.04:1 and prohibits sales to anyone under 21 per Code 18.2-371.2.

Virginia requires solid waste planning units to achieve a minimum 25 percent municipal solid waste recycling rate annually, with reduced 15 percent rate available to qualifying rural and low-population planning units.