Short-Term Rentals in Virginia (2026)

Virginia authorizes localities to require short-term rental registration and establishes a statewide framework allowing…

Norfolk requires all short-term rental operators to obtain a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) and annual STR registration…

Richmond requires STR operators to obtain a Short-Term Rental Special Use Permit or Zoning Certificate under Ordinance…

Suffolk has no standalone short-term rental permit. Its zoning ordinance never lists a short-term rental use; transient…

Every short-term rental operator in Albemarle County must register annually with the Department of Community…

Fairfax County requires short-term lodging operators to designate a contact agent, post that information for guests…

Before any short-term lodging activity can begin in Frederick County outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown…

Anyone operating a non-owner-occupied or accessory-detached short-term rental in Hanover County outside Ashland must…

Operating a short term tourist rental in Montgomery County's unincorporated area requires a zoning permit plus a…

Roanoke zoning permits short-term rental, homestay, and bed-and-breakfast establishments only as of right or by special…

Renting out a room or an entire home short-term in Roanoke County (outside the cities of Roanoke and Salem) requires a…

Virginia Beach requires most short-term rentals to obtain a conditional use permit, pass a safety inspection, and…

Alexandria Ordinance No. 5575 (effective September 1, 2025) requires a Short-Term Residential Rental Permit for any…

Chesapeake regulates short-term rentals through its Zoning Ordinance. Operators must obtain a conditional use permit or…

The City of Fairfax requires short-term rental operators to register with the City and obtain zoning approval before…

Hampton short-term rental operators must hold a Commissioner of Revenue business license, and must register the…

Henrico allows short-term rentals (under 30 days) in one-family residence districts (R-0 through R-4A) and A-1…

Town of Herndon allows short-term rentals with registration through the town. Permit fee is $200 (2-year). Operators…

Anyone renting a Loudoun County home outside the incorporated towns for stays under 30 days must annually register the…

Every Lynchburg short-term rental host must register the dwelling with the Zoning Administrator by July 1 each year and…

Newport News regulates short-term rentals under Chapter 33.02 of the City Code (Short-Term Rentals). Operators must…

There is no separate short-term rental registry, but every business offering lodging for 30 days or less must register…

Fairfax County bans events and gatherings, including parties, weddings, banquets and fund-raisers, at any short-term…

Alexandria short-term rental operators and guests must follow the city noise code and post a written quiet-hours…

Hampton short-term rentals cap overnight-hours occupancy to the approved floor plan and require a named local contact…

Every Henrico short-term rental must conspicuously post the County noise ordinance inside the dwelling, and guests are…

Newport News folds its general noise ordinance directly into short-term rental law: City Code § 45-517.1(b)(11) states…

Norfolk short-term rental guests must follow the Chapter 26 noise ordinance, and vacation-rental operators must keep…

Suffolk has no rental-specific noise rule. Guests follow the same Chapter 34 noise ordinance as residents: sound…

Virginia Beach short-term rentals must end outdoor amplified sound by 10 p.m. and cap overnight occupancy at three…

Hanover County doesn't set a separate STR-specific decibel limit; instead, Zoning Ordinance § 26-300.1(1)(i)(5)…

Montgomery County requires every short term tourist rental to have a copy of the county's noise ordinance, Section 7…

Virginia imposes a state sales tax and authorizes local transient occupancy taxes on short-term rentals, with platform…

Suffolk levies an 8% transient occupancy tax plus a flat $1 per night on stays of 30 days or less, under City Code…

Short-term rental operators in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville pay a 1% or 1.5% short-term…

Arlington County's 5.25% transient occupancy tax reaches short-term rentals booked through platforms like Airbnb and…

Virginia Code § 58.1-3819 authorizes Chesterfield to tax short-term rental hosts the same as hotels: any facility…

Fairfax County STR operators must collect Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) of 4% on gross rental receipts, plus Virginia…

Every Hanover County short-term rental operator, owner-occupied, accessory detached or non-owner-occupied, outside the…

Henrico short-term rental operators must collect an 8% transient occupancy tax on lodging charges, effective July 1…

Lynchburg levies a transient lodging tax of 6.5 percent of the lodging charge plus a flat $1.00 per room per night on…

Newport News charges short-term rental operators a $150 annual zoning compliance fee, plus a required business license…

A Norfolk short-term rental collects a 9% transient occupancy tax (8% city plus 1% state) and a flat $3 per bedroom per…

Portsmouth taxes every short-term rental stay at 8% of the total lodging charge plus a flat $3 per room per night…

Airbnb, VRBO, and other short-term rental bookings in Prince William County owe the same 5 percent transient occupancy…

Roanoke County's transient occupancy tax reaches short-term rentals booked through a platform: County Code Sec. 21-201…

Lodging in the Town of Vienna under 30 consecutive days is subject to Fairfax County Transient Occupancy Tax: 2%…

Short-term rentals in Virginia Beach owe the 8% transient occupancy tax plus a $2 nightly flat fee, and operators must…

A homestay in Albemarle County must provide off-street parking under Zoning Ordinance § 4.12.6 on top of the parking…

Alexandria STR operators must supply 0.75 parking spaces per bedroom outside the enhanced transit area, or 0.25 per…

Fairfax County short-term lodging hosts must provide one designated off-street parking space reserved for lodgers, and…

In Frederick County outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown, a short-term lodging permit under §…

Hampton short-term rentals must provide the full minimum parking required for the property on an improved surface…

Hanover County requires one off-street parking space per guestroom at every short-term rental, on top of the parking…

Henrico's zoning ordinance requires one off-street parking space for each guestroom in a short-term rental, in addition…

A Loudoun County short-term rental must provide 1 off-street parking space beyond whatever the dwelling already…

Guests at a Montgomery County short term tourist rental must park in driveways or other designated, approved parking…

Every Newport News short-term rental must provide at least one off-street parking space dedicated to the rental, on top…

Norfolk vacation rentals must provide off-street parking per the zoning table, and lacking the required spaces forces a…

Richmond STRs must provide at least 1 on-site parking space per bedroom rented, per §30-692.4. On-street parking cannot…

Spotsylvania County's zoning code does not have a separate 'short-term rental' use; short-stay lodging in a private…

Suffolk sets no standalone short-term rental parking rule. Because transient lodging is regulated as a bed and…

Virginia Beach requires short-term rental hosts to provide one off-street parking space per bedroom, with a written…

Lynchburg exempts short-term rentals from its off-street parking and loading standards entirely. Sec. 35.2-71.16 states…

Hampton caps every short-term rental at five bedrooms and ten overnight lodgers, with an absolute nine-bedroom ceiling…

Albemarle County caps most homestays at two guest bedrooms, rising to five only by Board of Supervisors special…

Alexandria caps overnight headcount in every short-term rental at two people per legal bedroom plus two more, not…

Fairfax County limits short-term lodging stays to no more than six adult lodgers per night and no more than 60 nights…

Short-term lodging in Frederick County outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown is capped at 10 unrelated…

Hanover County caps how many people can stay overnight at a short-term rental. Under Zoning Ordinance § 26-300.1…

Henrico caps short-term rental occupancy at twice the number of bedrooms in the dwelling. Hosted stays over six renters…

In unincorporated Loudoun County, a Short-Term Rental, Commercial Whole House use caps overnight guests at 10 per…

Lynchburg caps every short-term rental at four unrelated occupants under Zoning Ordinance Sec. 35.2-71.16(c). Related…

Montgomery County ties the maximum number of guests allowed at a short term tourist rental to whatever the Virginia…

Newport News limits every short-term rental to two overnight lodgers per bedroom, with a hard ceiling of six lodgers on…

Norfolk caps a vacation rental at two guests per bedroom, no more than ten guests total, in no more than five bedrooms…

Richmond caps short-term rental occupancy at the lesser of eight adult renters or the maximum allowed by the Virginia…

Roanoke limits how many overnight guests a bed and breakfast or homestay can host. A bed and breakfast may use no more…

Suffolk sets no guest headcount cap for short-term rentals. As a bed and breakfast, stays are capped at 30 days and all…

Virginia Beach short-term rentals cap overnight guests at three people per bedroom between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., with…

Henrico's short-term rental ordinance does not mandate a specific liability-insurance amount. It does require working…

Before Newport News will issue a short-term rental's annual certificate of zoning compliance, the owner must show proof…

Unlike many Virginia localities, Norfolk mandates insurance: vacation-rental operators must show premises liability…

Richmond STR operators must carry at least 500,000 dollars in liability insurance covering STR use, or use a platform…

Virginia Beach requires short-term rental hosts to carry at least $1,000,000 in liability insurance covering the rental…

Fairfax County limits short-term lodging to no more than 60 nights per calendar year per dwelling, capped further at…

Hampton's Short-Term Rental Overlay caps how many STR permits can operate in each of 51 designated STR Zones, with a…

Where Albemarle County allows unhosted homestay stays at all, on Rural Areas parcels of five acres or more, the owner…

A Henrico hosted short-term rental may operate up to 60 days in any calendar year by right. Renting more than a total…

A Short-Term Rental, Residential Accessory use in unincorporated Loudoun County, renting a room or portion of your home…

Prince William County sets no annual cap on the number of nights a property may be short-term rented. The transient…

Richmond does not impose an annual night cap on owner-occupied STRs. Rentals are unlimited so long as the operator…

To run a Short-Term Rental, Residential Accessory use, renting a room or part of your Loudoun County home, the operator…

A Newport News short-term rental only qualifies if the property owner actually lives there as a primary residence at…

Albemarle County requires a homestay owner to reside on the parcel at least 180 days a year and, absent an approved…

Hanover County short-term rental owners must designate an adult who is reachable at all times a rental is occupied and…

Henrico distinguishes hosted stays (owner present) from unhosted stays (owner away). Hosted stays are allowed by right…

Outside Blacksburg and Christiansburg, a Short Term Tourist Rental does not require the owner to live on site: Sec…

A Roanoke homestay operator cannot rent out a room and leave; Section 36.2-405(d)(4) requires the owner or leaseholder…

Virginia Beach short-term rentals must have a named responsible person reachable by phone who can address problems at…

Henrico permits short-term rentals only at the owner's primary residence. Section 24-4431(B) requires the dwelling to…

Albemarle County regulates short-term rentals as "homestays" under Zoning Ordinance Sec. 18-5.1.48. To operate lawfully…

An owner-occupied short-term rental in Hanover County can only operate in a dwelling the owner actually occupies at…

Newport News only allows a single-family or multiple-family dwelling unit to operate as a short-term rental if the…

In Richmond's residential zoning districts, a short-term rental may only operate on the same lot as the operator's…

Virginia Beach zoning allows by-right 'home sharing' only when the owner occupies the dwelling as a principal residence…

Fairfax County requires anyone operating short-term lodging to be a permanent resident of the property, defined as…

In unincorporated Loudoun County, a Short-Term Rental, Residential Accessory operator must live in the rented dwelling…

Roanoke requires the owner of a residential bed and breakfast to reside in the dwelling, and requires an owner or…

Spotsylvania County has no Airbnb-style short-term rental ordinance separate from its bed and breakfast use. Both…

Fairfax County requires an administrative Zoning Administrator permit before any dwelling can be used for short-term…

In Frederick County outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown, operating a short-term lodging or tourist home…

A Roanoke bed and breakfast or homestay can only rent rooms on a daily or weekly basis, and no single guest stay may…

A Loudoun County rental of 30 or more consecutive days falls outside the short-term rental definitions entirely: the…

An Albemarle County short-term rental operator who racks up more than three violations of state law or county rules…

Henrico County permanently blocks a short-term rental property from ever registering again once its operator racks up…

Two or more permit-requirement violations bar an Alexandria short-term rental property from reapplying for a year…

Hanover County can bar a non-owner-occupied or accessory detached short-term rental from operating at all after more…

A Loudoun County short-term rental operator hit with two or more written violation notices for failing to register a…

Three violations tied to a Lynchburg short-term rental within a three-year window end the right to operate it. Sec…

Newport News revokes a short-term rental's zoning compliance certificate after three or more recorded violations in a…

Virginia Beach can revoke a short-term rental's conditional use permit or grandfathered status over repeated…

In Henrico County, any booking platform that facilitates a short-term rental stay is treated as the retail seller under…

Booking platforms operating in Richmond must work within Virginia's STR registry framework under VA §15.2-983, which…