State

Virginia short-term rental laws (2026)

Tenants can run a short-term rental in Virginia. No local ordinance may bar a lessee or sublessee for that reason alone, provided the owner has granted permission. The rest is up to the state's cities, counties and towns.^[1]

Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.

Forested Blue Ridge slopes above the Shenandoah Valley in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Is Airbnb legal in Virginia?

Legal, with a local registry

You need no license from the state. Your city, county or town may require yearly registration. Its zoning decides where you can host.

7 official sources · verified October 1, 2026

Photo: Praswin Prakashan on Unsplash

PermitNot required · None from the state. Localities may require registration
Primary residenceVaries
Number on listingNot required
Night capNone in state law

Virginia short-term rental laws

The Code of Virginia creates no state license for short-term rentals. Under § 15.2-983, any city, county or town may require operators to register every year. Registration is ministerial: the operator gives a full name and the address of each rental. A locality may charge a reasonable fee tied to the registry's actual costs. It may fine an operator up to $500 per violation for offering an unregistered property. Zoning powers stay local, so where you can host depends on your locality. Ordinances enacted after December 31, 2023 cannot require a special or conditional use permit for an owner-occupied primary residence.^[1]

Every Virginia rule, sorted by what it asks

Filter by topic. Each line carries the number of its official source, listed at the bottom of the page.

You must

Register every year with your city, county or town where it runs a registry[1]
Get the owner's permission before renting a home you lease, and attest to it[1]
Collect Virginia sales tax yourself on any booking you take directly[4]
On direct bookings, collect your locality's transient occupancy tax[5]

You must not

Offer an unregistered property where your locality runs a registry[1]

Not required

A state short-term rental license[1]
A special permit for your own primary residence, under ordinances enacted after 2023[1]
A state night cap[1]

Cities in this state

Short-term rental rules in 5 Virginia cities

Ranked by the share of housing the Census counts as seasonal.

Short-term rental rules by city in Virginia
City	Local rule	Primary residence	Night cap	Seasonal homes per 1,000
Chincoteague short-term rental rulesAccomack County, VA	No city ordinance	Not published	None published	540
Cape Charles short-term rental rulesNorthampton County, VA	Permit required	Not published	None published	336
Colonial Beach short-term rental rulesWestmoreland County, VA	Permit required	Not published	None published, overnight minimum	210
Virginia Beach short-term rental rulesIndependent city, VA	Allowed by zone	Not required	No annual cap, one or two contracts per 7 days by zone	15
Richmond short-term rental rulesIndependent city, VA	Permit required	Varies	None: the city does not limit nights	4

Five jurisdictions, same questions

The Virginia column comes from the official sources on this page. The other columns show the headline rule from each WonderGuest page. Open a page for the full detail.

Short-term rental rules in Virginia compared with other jurisdictions
Question	Virginia	Tennessee	North Carolina	Florida	Hawaii
Permit	Not requiredNone from the state. Localities may require registration	RequiredCity permit where one exists	Not requiredNo registration, zoning approval instead	RequiredState license, $170 a year	RequiredState GET and TAT licenses
Primary residence	Varies	Varies	Varies	Not required	Varies
Night cap	None in state law	None. Under 30 nights is the definition	None. Wilmington's cap was struck down	None published by the state	No state cap, county rules vary
Number on listing	Not required	Not required	Not required	Not required	Required
Where allowed	Wherever local zoning allows it	City zoning decides, legacy status aside	Districts the city names for the use	No local bans after June 1, 2011	Set by each county
Occupancy tax	Sales tax of 5.3% to 7% by locality	City tax up to 4%, 8% with the county	4.75% state plus local and occupancy tax	6% state tax, Airbnb collects	11% state TAT plus county TAT
Fine without permit	Up to $500 per violation if unregistered	Use suspended while unpermitted	No state penalty published	Second-degree misdemeanor	$500 fine, $2,000 if cash-based
		Tennessee short-term rental rules	North Carolina short-term rental rules	Florida short-term rental rules	Hawaii short-term rental rules

Keep exploring

Coming up

What's changing

Effective July 1, 2027

Virginia's accessory dwelling unit law takes effect. A locality may then require that an ADU be rented for 30 consecutive days or longer. The section does not apply where a locality adopted an ADU ordinance before January 1, 2026.^[3]

FAQ

Virginia short-term rental questions

Is Airbnb legal in Virginia?

Yes. Virginia bans nothing statewide and issues no license. Your locality decides, through its zoning and its registry where it has one.^[1]

Can a Virginia locality stop me from renting for a month or more?

No. No locality may ban renting a home for a lease of 30 consecutive days or longer. Any restriction on such rentals must be reasonable and no stricter than for owner-occupied homes in the same district.^[2]

What is the sales tax rate on a Virginia short-term rental?

It depends on the locality. The rate is 5.3% in most of Virginia. It is 6% in Central Virginia, Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia. Eight localities sit at 6.3%, Northampton County among them. The rate reaches 7% in James City County, Williamsburg and York County.^[7]

Who collects the tax when guests book through Airbnb or Vrbo?

The platform. For a short-term rental, it reports the sales tax on the entire transaction on its own Virginia return. On direct bookings, you collect the tax yourself.^[6]

Sources

Code of Virginia § 15.2-983, Creation of registry for short-term rental of property, Virginia Legislative Information System, read on October 1, 2026
Code of Virginia § 15.2-987, Rentals for 30 consecutive days or longer, Virginia Legislative Information System, read on October 1, 2026
Code of Virginia § 15.2-2292.4 (effective July 1, 2027), Development and use of accessory dwelling units, Virginia Legislative Information System, read on October 1, 2026
Code of Virginia § 58.1-612.2, Tax collectible from accommodations providers and intermediaries, Virginia Legislative Information System, read on October 1, 2026
Code of Virginia § 58.1-3826, Scope of transient occupancy tax, Virginia Legislative Information System, read on October 1, 2026
Retail Sales Tax on Accommodations, Virginia Department of Taxation, read on October 1, 2026
Retail Sales and Use Tax, rates by locality, Virginia Department of Taxation, read on October 1, 2026

This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 1, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.

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