Virginia Short-Term Rental Laws by City (2026)
Short-term rental rules in Virginia are set city by city — a property that is legal to rent nightly in one town can be prohibited a few miles away. The table below covers 2 Virginia cities (2 human-verified against official sources), with each city's legal status, permit cost, and last-verified date.
Statewide short-term rental rules in Virginia
Virginia has no statewide short-term rental license or registry — regulation is left mostly to cities and counties, which Va. Code § 15.2-983 authorizes to run annual STR registries with penalties up to $500 per violation. Since July 1, 2024, the state partially preempts local control: ordinances enacted after December 31, 2023 cannot require a special exception, special use, or conditional use permit for renting a dwelling that is the owner's primary residence, and localities cannot bar lessees/sublessees from operating with the owner's permission (though they may limit each lessee to one rental). Stays of fewer than 90 continuous days are subject to Virginia retail sales and use tax (5.3% base, 6%-7% in some regions), which Airbnb/Vrbo-style 'accommodations intermediaries' must collect and remit along with local transient occupancy taxes. City and county rules apply on top of state law — check your local market's page.
Full statewide rules: permits, taxes & enforcement
Virginia has no statewide short-term rental license or registry — regulation is left mostly to cities and counties, which Va. Code § 15.2-983 authorizes to run annual STR registries with penalties up to $500 per violation. Since July 1, 2024, the state partially preempts local control: ordinances enacted after December 31, 2023 cannot require a special exception, special use, or conditional use permit for renting a dwelling that is the owner's primary residence, and localities cannot bar lessees/sublessees from operating with the owner's permission (though they may limit each lessee to one rental). Stays of fewer than 90 continuous days are subject to Virginia retail sales and use tax (5.3% base, 6%-7% in some regions), which Airbnb/Vrbo-style 'accommodations intermediaries' must collect and remit along with local transient occupancy taxes. City and county rules apply on top of state law — check your local market's page.
Reviewed by the STR Rule Watch research team against 10 official sources. How we verify data
Virginia statewide STR rules at a glance
| Legal status | Allowed, no permit required |
|---|---|
| Permit required | No |
| Renewal | No renewal required |
| Total occupancy taxes | ~5.3% of gross revenue |
| Insurance | None — Virginia imposes no statewide insurance mandate specific to short-term rentals. |
| Enforcement | Enforcement is local. |
| Current rules effective | 2024-07-01 |
State law & local authority
Virginia is a Dillon Rule state and mostly leaves STR regulation to localities rather than preempting it. Va. Code § 15.2-983 (enacted 2017, c. 741) authorizes any locality to create an annual STR registry (ministerial, with a fee tied to actual costs and a $500-per-violation cap) and expressly preserves local land-use power: 'Except as provided in this section, nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit, limit, or otherwise supersede existing local authority to regulate the short-term rental of property through general land use and zoning authority.' Registry exemptions cover real estate licensees/represented owners, time-share registrants, Health Department-licensed lodging, and locally licensed hotels/B&Bs/campgrounds. Two 2024 amendments added targeted preemption effective July 1, 2024: (1) Chapter 792 (SB 544) — 'No local ordinance enacted after December 31, 2023, or any subsequent amendment, shall require that a special exception, special use, or conditional use permit be obtained for the use of a residential dwelling as a short-term rental where the dwelling unit is also legally occupied by the property owner as his primary residence' (pre-2024 ordinances are effectively grandfathered); (2) Chapter 700 (HB 1461) — localities may not bar lessees/sublessees from operating an STR when the property owner has granted permission (attested at registration), though 'Localities may enact an ordinance that limits a lessee or sublessee to one short-term rental within the applicable locality.' Beyond these carve-outs, localities remain free to zone, restrict, or ban STRs.
State-level taxes
| Tax | Rate | Who collects |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia Retail Sales and Use Tax on accommodations (state + 1% local option)Base statewide rate 5.3% (4.3% state + 1% local option); 6% in Central Virginia, Hampton Roads, and Northern Virginia regions; 6.3% in certain additional counties/cities; 7% in the Historic Triangle (James City County, Williamsburg, York County). Applies to lodging furnished to transients; 'The tax does not apply ... to rooms, lodgings or accommodations supplied to a guest for a period of 90 continuous days or more' (23VAC10-210-730). Under Va. Code § 58.1-612.2, when a booking is facilitated by an accommodations intermediary (Airbnb, Vrbo, etc.), the intermediary is deemed the dealer and must collect and remit the tax; for direct bookings the host (accommodations provider) collects and remits. Local transient occupancy taxes (rates vary by locality; not a state tax) must also be collected and remitted by intermediaries under Va. Code § 58.1-3826, with monthly reporting of property addresses and gross receipts to each locality. | 5.3% | varies |
Enforcement & penalties
Enforcement is local. State law caps local registry penalties at $500 per violation and lets localities prohibit an operator from continuing to offer an unregistered property until it registers (with property-specific prohibitions possible after repeat violations). A statewide data lever exists on the tax side: accommodations intermediaries must submit monthly reports of property addresses and gross receipts to each locality (Va. Code § 58.1-3826); 2025 legislation (SB 1402/HB 2383, 2025, cc. 473 and 458) made that data confidential and restricted its use to tax administration — it may not be shared with zoning or other local departments.
No state-imposed penalties for operating an STR (no state license exists). For localities that adopt a registry, the state caps the fine at $500 per violation for offering an unregistered property; localities may also bar continued operation until registration occurs.
Statewide sources
- Va. Code § 15.2-983 — Creation of registry for short-term rental of propertyretrieved July 10, 2026
- Va. Code § 58.1-612.2 — Tax collectible from accommodations providers and intermediariesretrieved July 10, 2026
- Va. Code § 58.1-3826 — Scope of transient occupancy tax (intermediary collection and monthly reporting)retrieved July 10, 2026
- Virginia Tax — Retail Sales Tax on Accommodationsretrieved July 10, 2026
- Virginia Tax — Retail Sales and Use Tax (rates by region)retrieved July 10, 2026
- 23VAC10-210-730 — Hotels, motels, tourist camps, etc. (90-continuous-day rule)retrieved July 10, 2026
- Virginia LIS — SB 544 (2024) summary and status (Chapter 792, signed April 17, 2024)retrieved July 10, 2026
- Virginia Association of Counties — Two Short-Term Rental Bills Advance and Two Fail to Move Forward (2025 session)retrieved July 10, 2026
- Richmond Sunlight — SB 182 (2026): STR human trafficking awareness training (full history; left in House Appropriations 03/10/2026)retrieved July 12, 2026
- Richmond Sunlight — HB 2383 (2025): approved by Governor March 24, 2025, Chapter 458retrieved July 12, 2026
| City | Status | Permit fee | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | Restricted | $600 | July 21, 2026 |
| Virginia Beach | Restricted | $500 | July 10, 2026 |
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This page is informational only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Regulations change frequently — verify current requirements with each jurisdiction before operating. HOA and condo rules may prohibit short-term rentals regardless of city law.