Published October 2026
Richmond and Henrico County both tie their short-term rental rules to the owner’s primary residence, so buying a house only to list it on Airbnb does not fit either set of rules in a residential zoning district. Chesterfield County is the open question: we could not read a county rule for renting out a house by the night, and this guide says so plainly instead of guessing. Everything below comes from pages we opened in October 2026 and the dates those pages state. Rules change, so confirm any property with the locality before you make an offer.
City of Richmond: a permit, an owner, and a primary residence
The City of Richmond adopted Ordinance No. 2023-235 on September 25, 2023, according to the city’s short-term rental page. The page says the operator must be the property owner, and that in a residential zoning district the rental must be on the lot of the operator’s primary residence, as shown by Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles records or the city registrar’s office. The city’s owner’s affidavit form adds the number: the operator must occupy that lot at least 185 days each year, and proves it with a DMV-issued ID showing the address or a Virginia voter registration card.
For a buyer, that is the deciding rule. A house you do not live in is not your primary residence, so in a residential district it would not qualify for a permit. The page treats non-residential zoning districts differently: in a multifamily building in one of those districts, a maximum of ten units or one-third of the units, whichever is fewer, may be short-term rentals. Whether an address sits in a residential or non-residential district is a zoning-map question for the city’s Zoning Administration Office, which lists 804-646-6340 on that page.
Unlike the Henrico rules below, the city’s page says whole-house stays are allowed in all zones because the operator does not have to be on site, and that the number of nights a rental can operate is not limited. It also says the permit is obtained every two years and that the permit number must appear on every advertisement.
Henrico County: one-family districts, and the owner’s own home
Henrico County adopted its short-term rental ordinance on February 25, 2020, per the county’s ordinance amendment page. Rentals are allowed only in the One-Family Residence Districts (R-0 through R-4A) and the A-1 Agricultural District, and only where the property is the owner’s primary residence. Districts outside that list are not covered, and an investor purchase made solely to rent nightly does not meet the primary-residence test.
Henrico splits the rest into two paths. A hosted stay, with the owner on the property, is allowed with no extra zoning approval if the renters use the main dwelling, the lot has at least 80 feet of road frontage, no more than six renters stay at once, and the home is rented no more than 60 days per calendar year. Anything beyond that, such as an unhosted stay while you are away, needs a conditional use permit from the Board of Zoning Appeals after the county notifies neighbors and holds a public hearing. Henrico also requires registration. The county’s vocabulary here is conditional use permit, which is the term on its own page.
Get our Richmond closing-timeline checklist
If a rental plan is part of why you are buying, the zoning and association questions belong early in the contract timeline. Request our closing-timeline checklist and we will send the steps in order, so those questions get asked before your deadlines, not after.
Three kinds of buyers, three different answers
An owner-occupant who travels is the buyer these rules were written for. In Richmond, a homeowner who lives in the house at least 185 days a year leaves roughly 180 days when the home could be rented, and the city’s page sets no limit on nights. How the city measures residency is a question for the Zoning Administration Office, so ask before you plan around the arithmetic. In Henrico, the same owner can host a room under the by-right criteria or apply for the permit if the home will be empty during stays.
An investor who wants nightly guests in a house they do not live in has no verified path in a residential district in either place. The Richmond page does describe a share of units in multifamily buildings in non-residential districts, so a building in that kind of district is a different conversation, and one to have with the zoning office before the contract is signed.
An investor who plans to lease for 30 days or more is outside the statutory definition of a short-term rental, which in section 15.2-983 covers stays of fewer than 30 consecutive days. Those buyers still face the association and financing questions below, but not the nightly-rental permits described above.
Chesterfield County: what we could not read
We could not verify what Chesterfield County requires for renting a house or room by the night. The county’s own web pages blocked our reading tool, so we have no confirmed permit, zoning district list, or occupancy rule to report, and we are not going to borrow Henrico’s or Richmond’s.
There is one trap. The Chesterfield code has an article titled Short-Term Rental Tax, but its sections define short-term rental property as tangible personal property held for rental, with a one percent tax on gross proceeds for a business that earns at least 80 percent of its rental receipts from rentals of 92 consecutive days or less. That is an equipment-rental tax, not a lodging rule for houses. Do not treat it as the answer to an Airbnb question. Instead, ask the county’s planning staff in writing whether renting a particular home for fewer than 30 days is a permitted use under its zoning, what approval it needs, and whether the path is a conditional use permit or a rezoning. Keep the written answer with your offer file.
What Virginia law lets a locality require
The Code of Virginia’s section 15.2-983 defines a short-term rental as a stay of fewer than 30 consecutive days for a charge, and lets any locality set up a registry by ordinance. It limits registration fees to the actual cost of running the registry and allows a penalty of up to $500 per violation for offering an unregistered property. It also says that a local ordinance enacted after December 31, 2023 cannot require a special exception, special use or conditional use permit for a rental in a dwelling the owner occupies as a primary residence.
Both ordinances above were adopted before that date, according to the pages cited. Whether a later amendment changes how that limit applies to a given locality is a legal question, not a real estate one, so put it to your attorney.
Your HOA or condo documents are a second gate
Even where a locality allows a rental, an association can still limit it. Our guide to rental caps, investor limits and rights of first refusal in Richmond condos and HOAs explains how those clauses work. For what you receive before closing, see our guides to the Virginia HOA disclosure packet and the condominium resale certificate. Read the rental section before you rely on the right to cancel.
Before you write the offer
Put three questions in writing: which zoning district the property is in, whether the locality’s permit rules allow the stay length you plan, and what the association documents say about leasing. If you plan to buy as an investor and hold long-term tenants instead, financing and tax rules apply differently, and our guides to DSCR loans for rental investors and 1031 exchanges for Richmond landlords cover that side. Our preferred lenders can walk through how an investment property is financed, and our buyer process page explains how we run showings and offers. You can also browse current homes in our property search.
Request the closing-timeline checklist
Send us a request and we will email the Richmond closing-timeline checklist, with the zoning, association and permit questions placed where they belong in the timeline.
Frequently asked questions
Does Richmond cap how many nights a year I can rent?
No. The city’s short-term rental page says the number of nights a rental can operate is not limited. The cap that exists is on guests, not nights.
How many guests does Richmond allow?
The owner’s affidavit allows a maximum of eight adults, no more than two adults per sleeping room, and at least one renter who is 18 or older. The number of children is not limited, and the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code may lower the limit.
What does a Richmond short-term rental permit cost, and how long does it last?
The city’s page lists a biennial fee of $600, and each permit is active for two years from the date of issuance.
What safety equipment does Richmond require?
Smoke detectors in line with the current Virginia Residential Construction Code, an accessible fire extinguisher, and carbon monoxide detectors in any room used for sleeping or cooking. The application also asks for a floor plan marking where each device sits.
Can I host parties or events at a Richmond short-term rental?
No. The city’s page prohibits events and gatherings of people other than the authorized lodgers, and the affidavit lists parties, weddings, meetings and filming as barred commercial uses. Double bookings for the same date are also not allowed.
What do Henrico’s registry and conditional use permit cost?
The county’s ordinance amendment page lists a $200 registry fee and, when a conditional use permit is needed, a $300 application fee.
Who decides a Henrico conditional use permit?
The Board of Zoning Appeals. The county notifies neighbors and holds a public hearing, and the Board may impose conditions based on the specific location and other factors.
Can a Virginia locality fine an unregistered host?
Section 15.2-983 allows a penalty of up to $500 per violation for offering an unregistered property, and it lets a locality bar a host from offering a property after repeated violations. It also stops a host from continuing to offer the property until the penalty is paid and the host registers.
