Virginia Beach, VA

Virginia Beach requires every cat four months or older to carry a city license tag and bars cats from running loose off the owner's property: a violation is a class 4 misdemeanor.

Virginia Beach does not have breed-specific legislation (BSL). No dog breeds are banned or restricted by breed alone. However, Virginia Beach enforces dangerous dog and vicious dog…

Virginia Beach zoning treats any home with more than four dogs over six months old as a 'residential kennel,' requiring a conditional use permit in most residential districts and…

Dogs and cats adopted from Virginia Beach's Bureau of Animal Control must be sterilized within 30 days, or the new owner faces civil penalties.

Virginia Beach allows home-based wildlife rehabilitation facilities by right only in AG-1/AG-2 districts; elsewhere a conditional use permit is required, and a state permit is…

Virginia Beach designates a bird sanctuary across the rural northern and Sandbridge-area landscape, making it unlawful to kill or injure birds or destroy their nests and eggs there…

Virginia Beach only mandates microchipping for dogs a court has found to be dangerous: the owner must implant electronic ID and register it with animal control within 30 days of the…

Animal hospitals need a conditional use permit in Virginia Beach and must sit at least 100 feet from any adjacent property line, with parking required for the clinic's floor area.

Virginia Beach taxes dog grooming shops as agricultural service businesses, requiring an annual business license and a 0.36% tax on gross receipts under City Code § 18-48.

Virginia Beach doesn't ban pet-shop dog sales outright, but City Code § 5-549 limits pet shops to dogs from humane societies, animal shelters, or USDA-compliant breeders with no…

Feeding wildlife on city-owned property is unlawful in Virginia Beach once posted signs and a police warning are in place, with fines up to $50.

Virginia Beach permits beekeeping in residential zones under Virginia state apiary law (VA Code §3.2-4400 through §3.2-4419). Beekeepers must register apiaries with the Virginia…

Virginia Beach City Code requires dogs to be on a leash no longer than 6 feet when on public property, including streets, sidewalks, parks, and the oceanfront boardwalk. Dogs are…

Virginia Beach restricts horses, cows, goats, sheep, swine, and other livestock, plus fowl, to areas zoned agricultural or council-designated parcels: keeping chickens or livestock…

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

Virginia Beach requires an annual fire department permit to store or use LP-gas under the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code, with a fifty-dollar annual fee set in the city's fire…

Virginia Beach requires smoke detectors in every dwelling, hotel, motel and rooming house, installed to state building code specs, with landlords required to maintain them in common…

Virginia Beach allows open burning only when permitted under the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code, and the fire must be constantly watched until out. The fire chief can shut…

Consumer fireworks are illegal in Virginia Beach and throughout most of the Commonwealth under Virginia Code Section 27-95 and the Statewide Fire Prevention Code. Only the limited…

Virginia Beach allows open burning and backyard bonfires only under the state fire code, requires constant monitoring with extinguishing gear ready, and lets the fire chief order any…

Virginia lets the Governor, on the State Forester's recommendation, ban all open burning when serious fire hazards exist, and makes anyone whose negligence causes a wildfire liable to…

Virginia Beach short-term rentals must have a named responsible person reachable by phone who can address problems at the property within 30 minutes: showing up in person isn't…

Virginia Beach can revoke a short-term rental's conditional use permit or grandfathered status over repeated violations, and the planning department must flag any permit tied to…

Virginia Beach zoning allows by-right 'home sharing' only when the owner occupies the dwelling as a principal residence during rentals; renting a non-owner-occupied dwelling is a…

Virginia Beach requires most short-term rentals to obtain a conditional use permit, pass a safety inspection, and register annually with the Commissioner of Revenue before renting out…

Virginia Beach requires short-term rental hosts to carry at least $1,000,000 in liability insurance covering the rental activity, proven at initial registration and renewal, under…

Virginia Beach short-term rentals must end outdoor amplified sound by 10 p.m. and cap overnight occupancy at three lodgers per bedroom after 11 p.m., conditions attached to every STR…

Short-term rentals in Virginia Beach owe the 8% transient occupancy tax plus a $2 nightly flat fee, and operators must register annually with the commissioner of the revenue for a $50…

Virginia Beach short-term rentals cap overnight guests at three people per bedroom between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., with separate limits on daytime events over 50 people.

Virginia Beach requires short-term rental hosts to provide one off-street parking space per bedroom, with a written parking plan required when spaces can't fit on-site.

Virginia Beach bans commercial vehicles over 20 feet long, 7 feet tall, or one ton from parking in residential and apartment zoning districts, with a narrow exception for one smaller…

Curb spaces marked as loading zones in Virginia Beach are reserved strictly for actively loading or unloading materials or passengers: parking there for any other purpose, even…

Virginia Beach requires recreational equipment, boats, RVs, campers, trailers, stored on residential lots to sit behind the front building plane or fully enclosed, with driveway…

Virginia Beach requires all off-street parking areas, including single-family driveways, to be paved in concrete, asphalt, or another material approved by the Planning Director: grass…

Virginia Beach designates residential permit parking areas near meter-regulated zones; overnight parking from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. requires a valid permit or guest pass under City Code §…

Virginia Beach writes its own towing price list instead of leaning on the Virginia default. A non-consent tow of a vehicle rated 10,000 pounds or less is capped at $211.00, the first…

Virginia Beach permits residential Level 1 and Level 2 EV chargers as accessory electrical installations under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code. An electrical permit is…

Under Va. Code section 46.2-1200 and Virginia Beach City Code Chapter 21, a vehicle is considered abandoned if left on public property for more than 48 hours without a current…

Virginia Beach bans parking in front of driveways, on the left side of two-way streets, and in fire lanes or crosswalks; violators face fines starting at $35 per hour under City Code §…

In areas designated for residential permit parking, Virginia Beach bans overnight on-street parking from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. without a valid resident permit or displayed guest pass.

Virginia Beach bans letting a dog bark, whine, howl, or cry without provocation in a loud, continuous or untimely manner that disturbs neighbors' peace, with the dog's owner or keeper…

Loud car stereos and excessive exhaust noise are banned citywide, with vehicle sound capped by a dBA speed-class table and stereos audible past 100 feet.

New homes and buildings inside NAS Oceana's airport noise zones must include sound-reduction construction meeting the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, with the strictest zones…

Virginia Beach bans bulldozers, cranes, backhoes, pile drivers, jackhammers and similar construction equipment from operating between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., unless the city manager…

Between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., sound audible in a neighbor's home over 55 dBA violates city code, measured indoors near the source wall.

Outdoor amplified sound like stereos, TVs and speakers is capped at 80 dB(A) from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and 75 dB(A) overnight, measured from any public area or neighboring private…

Virginia Beach caps residential noise at 55 dBA overnight and 65 dBA during the day, measured inside the neighboring home four feet from the wall.

Cutting, trimming or spraying trees or shrubs on, under or over a city street requires a permit, and vegetation blocking sightlines at intersections or driveways must be cleared within…

New residential development in Virginia Beach must plant trees or provide canopy cover scaled to lot size, protect existing trees during construction, and pass inspection before…

Virginia Beach bars grass, weeds, or brush over 10 inches tall on any property, including the strip out to the curb. Code enforcement gives owners a notice with seven days to cut it…

Virginia Beach has no standing odd/even watering schedule. But once city council declares a water-supply emergency, the city manager or public utilities director can limit lawn and…

Virginia encourages rainwater harvesting and graywater reuse: outdoor rain-barrel collection is essentially unregulated, while the Board of Health sets standards for reuse systems and…

Virginia Beach's zoning ordinance bars any sign for a home occupation. City council can grant a single exception permit, capped at one square foot and unlit, mounted flat against the…

Virginia Beach caps the traffic and parking a home-based business can generate. Under Zoning Ordinance § 234, client and delivery traffic can't exceed what's normal for the…

Virginia Beach requires every home-based business to obtain a Home Occupation Permit from the Planning Department Zoning Administration plus a separate business license from the…

Operating a family day-care home in a Virginia Beach residential district requires a conditional use permit from city council: it's not allowed by right in any R-zoned neighborhood.

Virginia lets a resident make and sell a specific list of shelf-stable foods out of a private home with no Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services permit, no…

Virginia does not issue a microenterprise home kitchen permit, and it cannot: the Board of Health food regulation at 12VAC5-421-2990 says a private home shall not be used for…

Backyard sheds and other accessory structures in Virginia Beach get a reduced 5-foot side and rear yard setback if they're 150 square feet or smaller with an eave height of 8 feet or…

Accessory dwelling units are allowed only in the R-40 Residential District, capped at 800 square feet and one bedroom, for family or an on-premise employee.

Virginia Beach's "limited use" accessory dwelling units are restricted to the R-40 zoning district and can only house immediate family or an on-premise employee: the zoning ordinance…

Virginia Beach zoning permits a 'limited use accessory dwelling unit' only in the R-40 Residential District, and it may house only an immediate family member who owns the home or an…

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 Beach caps fences at eight feet, bans barbed wire and electrified fencing in residential and apartment districts, and allows maintenance-free vinyl or aluminum fencing on the…

Virginia Beach caps fences at 8 feet, drops to 4 feet in front yards, and bans barbed wire near residential lot lines.

A fence or wall built within 30 feet of a public right-of-way in Virginia Beach requires a zoning permit costing $50, with an exemption for agricultural or horticultural fencing in the…

Fences and walls citywide max out at 8 feet, drop to 4 feet in required front yards, and shrink further inside street-intersection visibility triangles.

Outdoor hot tubs and spas over 24 inches deep must be enclosed by a code-compliant fence under Virginia Beach's swimming pool ordinance, with self-latching gates kept fastened whenever…

Virginia Beach treats above-ground pools as "type 1" pools under its swimming pool ordinance, requiring a building permit priced on construction value and compliance with the state…

Tow companies that remove vehicles from private property without the owner's consent must hold a city business license, post specific warning signs, and cap fees at rates set by City…

Virginia Beach junk and secondhand dealers must get a police permit before receiving a business license, then file daily electronic transaction reports with the police department.

Virginia Beach's zoning ordinance expressly excludes auto repair shops from the list of permitted home occupations, so residents cannot run a car repair business out of a house…

Virginia Beach requires every massage provider to hold state certification under Code of Virginia § 54.1-3029 and post it at the massage establishment; giving a massage for pay without…

Virginia Beach tobacco retailers must hold a state retail tobacco license and a city Business Professional and Occupational License, sell only to customers 21 or older under Va. Code…

Tattoo parlors and body piercing shops need a $1,200 annual permit from the Virginia Beach health department and are allowed only as a conditional use in the B-2 Community Business…

Virginia Beach permits adult bookstores only in the RT-3 Resort Tourist District, and only when the store sits at least 500 feet from any residential or apartment zone, church, park…

Virginia Beach limits the city to fifteen licensed pawnshops at any one time, and won't issue a local license until the operator already holds the state pawnbroker license required by…

Virginia Beach caps sound from restaurants, bars and nightclubs at 80 dBA during the day and 75 dBA overnight, measured from the street or sidewalk outside.

Virginia Beach caps car alarm sounding at 10 minutes in residential areas and 15 minutes elsewhere, unless the alarm is responding to an actual break-in, fire, or other emergency…

Boomboxes, car and home stereos, and amplifiers in Virginia Beach are capped at 80 dB(A) daytime and 75 dB(A) overnight when heard from a public area or neighboring property.

Virginia Beach property owners must repair leaking pipes, hydrants, meters, or fixtures immediately after notice from the Department of Public Utilities, or the city will shut off…

Dumping refuse, hazardous waste, or construction debris on streets, alleys, or private property in Virginia Beach is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $250–$2,500…

Virginia Beach commercial establishments must supply their own refuse containers, and resort-zone businesses must use a bulk or mobile container under City Code § 31-6.

Virginia Beach picks up recyclables every other week on the same day as trash, and only accepts specific paper, glass, plastic, and metal items, not everything goes in the bin.

Virginia Beach keeps refuse collection running on official holidays, with the schedule set by the director of public works rather than a citywide suspend-and-shift.

Virginia Beach collects household garbage weekly and recyclables every other week on the same collection day, unless the city manager designates a different schedule for an area.

Virginia Beach caps yard debris piles at 4x4x4 feet, limbs at 4 feet long, one pile per week, curbside for city pickup.

Virginia Beach picks up recyclables every other week on the same day as trash, using bins provided for automated collection; mixing in hazardous waste, medical waste, or nonrecyclables…

Virginia Beach collects household garbage weekly and recyclables every other week. Carts go curbside no earlier than 5 p.m. the night before and must be off the curb by the end of…

Virginia Beach collects oversized trash and bulky items like refrigerators and washing machines once a week at the curb, but only if you call the waste management division in advance…

Virginia Beach requires curbside trash and recycling carts out no earlier than 5 p.m. the night before collection, off the curb by 7 a.m. collection day, and carts stored out of public…

Virginia Beach bans sleeping in public parks or on public property overnight and bars overnight camper occupancy on public land outside designated sites.

Virginia Beach outlaws sitting, reclining, or lying down on any street, sidewalk, alley, curb, or business entrance citywide, making it a class 4 misdemeanor with no exceptions written…

Virginia Beach can designate rental inspection districts where code enforcement checks units for compliance with the state building code's safe, decent, and sanitary living standards.

Virginia Beach landlords must follow VA Code §55.1-1226, which caps security deposits at two months of rent and requires return within 45 days of move-out with an itemized statement of…

Since 2020, the Virginia Fair Housing Law bars landlords from refusing applicants based on lawful source of income, including Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. Virginia Beach…

The Virginia Beach Department of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation administers Housing Choice Vouchers locally. Landlords accepting vouchers must pass Housing Quality Standards…

Owners of rental units inside a city council-designated rental inspection district must notify the code enforcement administrator in writing within 60 days of designation, or face a…

Virginia Beach has no rent control ordinance. Virginia state law (VA Code §55.1-1204) preempts local rent control. Landlords may set and increase rents without government caps, subject…

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

Under Va. Code § 55.1-1229, a landlord must give the tenant notice of intent to enter and may enter only at reasonable times, except in an emergency. For routine maintenance the tenant…

Va. Code § 55.1-1204 lets a landlord charge a late fee only if the written lease provides for it, capped at the lesser of 10 percent of the periodic rent or 10 percent of the remaining…

Under Va. Code § 55.1-1253, either party may end a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice before the next rent due date, and a week-to-week tenancy with at least…

Under Va. Code § 8.01-236, a person must take action to recover land within 15 years after the right accrues, so an occupant claiming title by adverse possession must hold the property…

Virginia Beach requires interconnected smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in every short-term rental, verified through mandatory zoning inspections at permitting and again…

Plumbing work in Virginia Beach requires a permit under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, with a $50 base fee plus per-fixture charges before work begins.

Virginia Beach requires a building permit and Division of Permits and Inspections sign-off before any construction, alteration, repair, or demolition begins, with fees scaled by…

Virginia Beach bans lead-based paint on any surface of a dwelling used by children and requires existing lead paint be removed or covered.

Virginia Beach's Division of Permits and Inspections can bill $75 for each extra inspection visit caused by uncorrected faulty work, a premature request, or blocked site access, due…

Virginia Beach requires annual safety tests for elevators and escalators, plus a five-year full-load test for cable elevators, with inspection fees set by city code.

Virginia Beach requires an electrical permit for wiring work under the Uniform Statewide Building Code, with a minimum $50 fee per permit through the Permits and Inspections Division.

New homes in Virginia Beach's mapped floodplains must set the lowest floor at least 2 feet above base flood elevation, per the city's Floodplain Ordinance.

Virginia Beach requires a $230 permit from the Department of Planning before building, altering, or repairing any dock, pier, wharf, or bulkhead in city waters or adjacent marshland.

Any fill, building, or substantial improvement inside a mapped Virginia Beach flood zone needs a floodplain development permit, and new homes must set their lowest floor above the base…

Virginia Beach requires a land-disturbance approval before any project disturbing 2,500 square feet or more can break ground, backed by an approved erosion and stormwater management…

Virginia Beach requires a land-disturbance approval from the VESMP Administrator before any grading, clearing, or land-disturbing activity of 2,500 square feet or more begins, under…

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…

Virginia Beach requires outdoor lighting fixtures to be full cutoff, with wall pack security lights fully shielded and aimed at least 45 degrees below horizontal to keep glare off…

Virginia Beach requires every illuminated sign, including billboards, to be shielded from glare, banned from blinking or flashing lights, and dimmed so brightness never disturbs…

Virginia Beach requires full cutoff outdoor light fixtures on most new and replacement installations, aiming light downward to cut sky glow and glare, and caps illumination at 0.5 to…

Any parade or procession on a Virginia Beach street requires a permit from the city manager under City Code § 33-9.1, with exceptions only for military, police, fire, and funeral…

Virginia Beach requires a special event permit from the city manager for any block party, parade, or gathering of 200 or more people that uses public streets, sidewalks, or the…

Virginia Beach charges $300 per event day plus 1% of gross admissions for carnivals, street fairs, and tent shows, requires a city manager permit before any license issues, and holds a…

Any city park gathering expected to draw 200 or more people, or one that requires altering the park's normal operations, needs a permit from the Parks and Recreation director before it…

Virginia Beach requires a written encroachment agreement for outdoor cafes on public sidewalks, and Oceanfront Resort or Resort Tourist District cafes need city council franchise…

Every Virginia Beach food service establishment must have a certified food service manager on-site at least 8 hours per operating day.

Virginia Beach makes it a public nuisance to leave land or a building in a condition that provides cover or harborage for rodents or vermin, or that breeds flies or mosquitoes without…

Virginia Beach residents must dispose of used syringes in rigid puncture-resistant containers and never in curbside trash or recycling, following Virginia DEQ medical waste rules and…

Virginia Beach landlords must address bed bug infestations in rental units under the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, with tenants required to cooperate in inspections and…

AG-1 and AG-2 zoning districts protect farmland in Virginia Beach's rural south, permitting farming, agritourism and farm sales by right ahead of residential sprawl.

Virginia Beach classifies electric bicycles into three classes under City Code § 7-1, with Class one through three e-bikes permitted on city sidewalks and bicycle paths under § 7-59…

Virginia Beach requires a nonexclusive city franchise license before any company can offer motorized scooters for hire, and bans riding rental scooters in the Rudee Loop resort core…

Virginia Beach runs red-light traffic cameras under City Code § 21-222, authorized by state law, with a flat $50 civil penalty for violations caught on camera at monitored…

Virginia Beach's signature 28-foot-wide concrete bike path runs alongside the Atlantic Avenue boardwalk and is governed by City Code Chapter 21 rules requiring single-file riding, 10…

Virginia runs two separate schemes. A golf cart or utility vehicle is barred from every public highway in the Commonwealth unless the county, city, or town has designated that road by…

New and substantially improved buildings in Virginia Beach flood hazard areas must set their lowest floor at least two feet above the base flood elevation, or higher if local drainage…

New residential subdivisions in Virginia Beach must plant street trees in the public right-of-way under an approved master street tree plan before final plat recordation.

Virginia Beach requires a city permit before filming any motion picture, video, or broadcast production on public property, including streets, sidewalks, and buildings, or whenever…

Virginia Beach requires a special event permit before any film, video, or TV production stages vehicles, equipment, props, or personnel on public streets, sidewalks, or other city…

Motion picture, video, or broadcast productions on Virginia Beach public property need a special event permit, and the city manager can attach noise restrictions as a permit condition.

Virginia Beach incorporates the Central Business Core District Design Guidelines by reference, and the Planning Director decides whether Town Center-area projects conform.

Virginia Beach lets developers add up to 30% more dwelling units in the Workforce Housing Overlay District if at least 17% of units are reserved as workforce housing.

Owners can list historic buildings and sites on the voluntary Virginia Beach Historical Register, which carries no mandatory restrictions on the property.

Virginia Beach charges an 8% transient occupancy tax plus a $2 nightly flat fee on hotel, motel, and short-term rental stays, collected by the accommodations provider and remitted…

Virginia Beach's outdoor lighting ordinance exempts temporary seasonal lighting outright, so holiday displays skip the brightness caps, fixture-shielding, and pole-height limits other…

In Virginia Beach's Town Center core, window signs can't cover more than 10% of a storefront's total window area, and electronic displays or oscillating lights in windows are banned…

Billboards and other outdoor advertising signs must sit at least 500 feet from any interstate or expressway interchange and 660 feet back from the interstate or expressway right-of-way…

Virginia Beach's zoning ordinance bans electronic display signs citywide, with narrow exceptions for gas station displays and City Council-approved major entertainment venue signage.

Virginia Beach treats political signs as content-neutral temporary signs, capped at 16 or 32 square feet total per lot depending on the zoning district.

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 Beach bans placing fences, tables, boxes, merchandise, or other fixtures on any sidewalk, street, or alley: a Class 3 misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine per day of…

Virginia Beach requires a $250 encroachment permit before placing any private structure, sign, or improvement in a public street, alley, or right-of-way, and unauthorized encroachments…

Peddling ice cream, hot dogs, sandwiches and similar food from a cart, wagon or vehicle is banned within 300 feet of two or more retail businesses; other street food sales need a city…

Virginia Beach bars street sales in the public right-of-way on any street posted above 25 mph or within 25 feet of an intersection, and caps vendors at 15 minutes per block before they…

Virginia Beach requires mobile food vendors to hold a health department and fire department permit before the commissioner of the revenue will issue the required 0.20% gross-receipts…

Virginia Beach retailers must verify ID and refuse tobacco, nicotine vapor, and hemp-product sales to anyone under 21, following Virginia Code §18.2-371.2 statewide age rules.

Adults 21 and older in Virginia Beach may grow up to four marijuana plants per household for personal use, following Virginia Code §4.1-1101 statewide cultivation rules.

Direct delivery of recreational cannabis to Virginia Beach addresses remains restricted under Virginia state law until the Cannabis Control Authority adopts retail and delivery…

Virginia bars anyone from operating a medical cannabis dispensing facility or pharmaceutical processor without a permit from the Cannabis Control Authority Board. Permits are capped by…

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…

Virginia Beach imposes a five-cent disposable plastic bag tax at grocery, convenience, and drug stores under Virginia Code §58.1-1745, with revenue funding environmental cleanup and…

Virginia Code § 10.1-1424.3 phases out expanded polystyrene single-use food service containers: food vendors with 20 or more locations had to comply by July 1, 2025, and all food…

Drinking alcohol in public streets, sidewalks, parks, and on the Atlantic Avenue Boardwalk is generally prohibited under Va. Code Section 4.1-308 and Virginia Beach city code, with…

Virginia Beach bars skateboards and motorized skateboards from every Resort Area sidewalk at any time under City Code § 7-59.1(c); riders face a civil penalty up to $50. Roller blades…

Virginia Beach makes it a Class 4 misdemeanor to urinate or defecate in public or anywhere open to public view, unless you're using an actual public restroom facility.

Blocking a public place or private property open to the public and refusing to move on when told to is a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia Beach.

Virginia Beach's BPOL license tax is set by business classification: contractors pay 0.16%, retailers 0.20%, wholesalers 0.12% of purchases, and professionals 0.58% of gross receipts…

Virginia Beach HOAs operate under the Virginia Property Owners' Association Act (Code §55.1-1800 et seq.) or the Virginia Condominium Act (§55.1-1900 et seq.). Boards must hold at…

Under the Virginia Property Owners' Association Act, § 55.1-1833, an association may perfect a lien for unpaid assessments by recording a memorandum of lien, but only if it does so…

Virginia's § 55.1-1819 empowers a property owners' association to adopt and enforce rules governing the development, including architectural and use restrictions in the recorded…

Virginia's Property Owners' Association Act protects one flag and one flag only: the flag of the United States. Under Va. Code § 55.1-1820 no association may prohibit a lot owner from…

Virginia caps association fines by statute. Under Va. Code § 55.1-1819 D a charge may not exceed $50 for a single offense or $10 per day for a continuing offense, and a continuing…

Virginia does not stop a community association from restricting or even prohibiting leasing, because Va. Code § 55.1-1806 opens with an exception for anything expressly authorized in…

Door-to-door solicitors must carry a Police Department permit, and posting a "No Solicitation" sign on your home makes it a crime for even permitted solicitors to knock.

Virginia Beach requires a $20 police-issued permit before going door-to-door to sell goods or take orders at private residences, with permits capped at 12 months and expiring every…

Virginia Beach exempts occasional garage and yard sales in residential areas from both its door-to-door solicitor permit and its public/right-of-way sale permit, so residents can hold…

Virginia Beach's Zoning Ordinance sets minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks by residential district, from 50 feet in R-40 down to 20 feet in the R-5 districts, under City Zoning…

Single-family lot coverage in Virginia Beach is capped by zoning district, from 25% in R-40 down to as much as 40% in R-5D and R-5S.

Virginia Beach caps residential structures at 35 feet under City Zoning Ordinance Sec. 503, with a narrow exception allowing 42 feet for single-family homes in larger R-40 through R-15…

Virginia Beach enforces property maintenance standards through its Code Enforcement Division. The city uses the Virginia Maintenance Code and local ordinances to address deteriorated…

Virginia Beach requires owners to cut grass, weeds, or brush over 10 inches and remove trash from vacant lots within seven days of notice, or the city mows and bills a $150 fee.

Minors under 18 must stay off Virginia Beach streets, parks, and vehicles between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other adult with custody of them.

Virginia Beach closes all city parks and their parking areas between sunset and sunrise; anyone who enters or remains during those hours faces a misdemeanor charge and a $200 to $500…

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…

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

Virginia's minimum wage under Code § 40.1-28.10 is $12.77 per hour in 2026, rising to $13.75 on January 1, 2027 and $15.00 on January 1, 2028. The state rate preempts localities from…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Virginia confines casino gaming to a short list of statutorily defined 'eligible host cities' that meet strict poverty, unemployment, or tax-exempt-property thresholds under Va. Code §…

Virginia's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services controls all charitable gaming under Code § 18.2-340.15, treating it as a revocable privilege rather than a right. A…

Virginia's general gambling ban does not reach a private game of chance held in someone's home. Code § 18.2-334 exempts games of chance in a private residence from prosecution under…

Virginia legalized online sports betting in 2020 under Code § 58.1-4032, but caps competition: the Virginia Lottery's Director issues no fewer than four and no more than 12 permits…

Virginia law enforcement runs sobriety checkpoints, and the General Assembly legislated on that fact in 2023, but no section of the Code of Virginia authorizes or regulates them. Va…

Virginia has no statute granting an express right to record police, and it does not need one, because Virginia is a one-party consent state. Va. Code § 19.2-62(B)(2) makes it no…

Virginia is not a stop-and-identify state. No section of the Code of Virginia requires a person stopped or detained on the street to give a name, and the General Assembly has never…

Virginia is one of the few states that answered the consent question by statute rather than leaving it to the courts. Va. Code § 4.1-1302 bars an officer from stopping, searching or…

Virginia's solar covenant statute is a default rule, not a covenant-voiding right. Va. Code § 55.1-1820.1 B says no association shall prohibit an owner from installing a solar energy…

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

Virginia runs a closed list. Va. Code 46.2-1020 names the extra lights a private vehicle may carry, and anything not on that list, not permitted elsewhere in the lighting article, and…

Virginia is one of the few states with a dash camera provision written into the vehicle code by name. Since 2023, subsection C of Va. Code 46.2-1054 says the obstructed-view law does…

Virginia does not permit lane splitting, and it does not treat the offense as a simple traffic ticket. Va. Code § 46.2-857 makes it reckless driving to drive any motor vehicle so as to…

Virginia bans any cover, frame, bracket, holder, mounting, or colored glass or plastic placed on, around, or over a license plate if it in any way alters or obscures the plate…

Virginia prohibits radar and laser detectors outright in every private vehicle. Va. Code 46.2-1079 makes it unlawful to operate a car equipped with any passive or active device that…

Virginia permits studded snow tires only between October 15 and April 15, and only on a vehicle whose gross weight does not exceed 10,000 pounds. The studs must project no more than…

Virginia lets you tint front side windows down to 50 percent light transmittance and rear side and rear windows down to 35 percent, and no window film anywhere on the car may reflect…