Accessory Structures in Virginia (2026)

Accessory dwelling units are allowed only in the R-40 Residential District, capped at 800 square feet and one bedroom…

In Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, an accessory apartment must be built inside the main…

Alexandria's Zoning Ordinance lets homeowners add one accessory dwelling unit to a single-unit, two-unit, or townhouse…

Chesterfield does not allow a separate accessory dwelling by right. Using an accessory building as a dwelling generally…

An accessory living unit in Fairfax County needs a recorded administrative permit, issued for an initial two-year term…

In Frederick County outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown, one accessory dwelling is allowed with any…

Hampton allows one accessory dwelling unit per single-family lot under a zoning administrator permit, capping size at…

Hanover County caps accessory housing units at one per lot in Zoning Ordinance Section 26-280, limiting size to…

Henrico County allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot, only accessory to a single-family detached home. It cannot…

Loudoun County caps accessory dwellings at 1,200 to 2,500 square feet depending on zoning district under Section…

Lynchburg zoning lets a single-household lot add one accessory dwelling unit, either tucked into the main house behind…

In Montgomery County outside Blacksburg and Christiansburg, accessory dwellings are allowed as rental units in the A-1…

Newport News caps accessory dwelling units at 800 square feet, one per lot, under Zoning Code § 45-518.1, requiring the…

Portsmouth allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot as an accessory to a single-family detached home, sized between…

Richmond permits one accessory dwelling unit per single-family lot, but caps it at one-third of the main house's floor…

Roanoke allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot by right. A detached ADU is capped at 800 square feet or 80% of the…

In Roanoke County, Virginia (outside the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem), a homeowner can add an accessory…

Spotsylvania County's zoning ordinance allows an accessory apartment, a small second dwelling on the same lot as a…

Stafford County allows one accessory dwelling per lot, capped at 25 percent of the principal dwelling's gross floor…

Suffolk allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot, permitted by-right in the agricultural and rural-residential…

Hampton requires the fee-title owner of any property with an ADU to live on-site as a primary residence in either the…

Hanover County requires the property owner to live on-site wherever an accessory housing unit exists, under Zoning…

Virginia Beach zoning permits a 'limited use accessory dwelling unit' only in the R-40 Residential District, and it may…

Albemarle County requires the property owner to actually live on site: Zoning Ordinance § 5.1.34(H) says the owner must…

Fairfax County zoning requires that either the accessory living unit or the main house be owner-occupied, preventing…

Lynchburg allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot in its R-1 and R-2 residential districts only when the property…

An accessory dwelling unit in Newport News only works if the property owner actually lives there. City Code §…

In Roanoke County, Virginia (outside the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem), a property with an accessory…

Hampton requires the property owner to live on-site in either the house or the ADU, bars renting out both units at…

A detached accessory housing unit in Hanover County outside the Town of Ashland may never be used as a short-term…

An accessory dwelling unit in Newport News cannot be rented out night to night. City Code § 45-518.1(12)-(13) sets a…

Virginia Beach's "limited use" accessory dwelling units are restricted to the R-40 zoning district and can only house…

Virginia's Uniform Statewide Building Code exempts sheds under 256 square feet from building permits statewide…

A shed or detached garage in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville must sit at least five feet off…

Alexandria lets homeowners put a shed in the side or rear yard without giving up required yard space, but caps its…

Carports need a building permit in Chesterfield regardless of size. A carport is a structure open on at least two sides…

Fairfax County caps freestanding sheds on typical lots at 20 feet tall and sets side/rear setbacks that scale with…

In Frederick County outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown, a shed or other accessory structure cannot sit…

In Hampton, Virginia, an attached carport must meet the same setbacks as the primary house, while a detached carport is…

A shed or other accessory building in Hanover County needs a building permit, cannot be used before the main house is…

In Henrico County a detached shed must sit 10 ft from the house, 6 ft from other structures, 10 ft from street/alley…

A carport in unincorporated Loudoun County counts as a non-habitable accessory structure under the Zoning Ordinance's…

Lynchburg's zoning ordinance confines sheds and other accessory buildings to rear or side yards, capping them at 30…

In Montgomery County outside Blacksburg and Christiansburg, a small shed, pet house or pen built with a single-family…

Newport News limits accessory buildings and sheds to 1.5 stories or the main house's height, caps rear-yard coverage at…

Portsmouth's zoning ordinance caps accessory structures like sheds, detached garages, and carports at 5 percent of lot…

Prince William County caps all detached accessory structures on a lot at 576 total square feet, or 30 percent of the…

Richmond caps accessory structures like sheds and detached garages at 20 feet in height and limits their combined…

Roanoke caps an accessory building's footprint at 75% of the principal building's footprint, limits total accessory…

In Roanoke County, Virginia (outside the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem), a zoning permit is required before…

Backyard sheds and other accessory structures in Spotsylvania County cannot cover more than thirty percent of the…

Stafford County caps accessory buildings, including sheds, at a 10-foot setback from property lines on lots over one…

Backyard sheds and other accessory structures in Virginia Beach get a reduced 5-foot side and rear yard setback if…

Enclosing a carport or converting a garage into living space requires building permits and must meet the Virginia…

Henrico County has no standalone garage-conversion ordinance, but converting a garage into livable space needs a USBC…

Virginia regulates tiny homes through the Uniform Statewide Building Code and IRC Appendix Q, preempting local…

Richmond's zoning code does not let residents place a tiny home in the backyard as an ordinary accessory structure. A…

Fairfax County's Zoning Ordinance classifies a tiny house as a recreational vehicle or travel trailer unless it sits on…

Henrico County has no separate tiny-home ordinance. A tiny house on wheels, an RV, or a travel trailer cannot be used…