Is short-term rental legal in Virginia Beach, VA?
Virginia Beach requires a Conditional Use Permit for STRs in most residential areas — a discretionary City Council approval with conditions — while the Sandbridge district runs on its own overlay rules.
Rules checked October 2026
Run the Virginia Beach verdict on your facts
| What counts as a short-term rental | Virginia Beach requires a Conditional Use Permit for STRs in most residential areas — a discretionary City Council approval with conditions — while the Sandbridge district runs on its own overlay rules. |
|---|---|
| Permit / license | Conditional Use Permit (most zones) / Sandbridge overlay rules — issued by City of Virginia Beach Planning |
| Fee | CUP application runs several hundred dollars (city schedule) |
| Renewal | CUPs run with their stated conditions and expiry terms |
| Primary-residence rule | No primary-residence rule; the CUP conditions (parking, occupancy, local contact) govern. |
| Whole-home rental | Whole-home rental under a granted CUP, or in Sandbridge under its overlay. |
| Night cap | — |
| Guests / occupancy | Set in the CUP conditions |
| Minimum stay | None |
| Zoning | Most residential = CUP (discretionary); Sandbridge = overlay by right with conditions. |
| Density / scarcity | No density cap found in the current rules |
| Fines | Operating without the CUP draws zoning fines and the city runs dedicated STR enforcement in season |
| Taxes | City transient occupancy tax registration accompanies lawful operation. |
| Platform duties | Enforcement cross-checks listings against CUP records. |
| State layer | Va. Code § 15.2-983 lets localities require an STR registry but limits outright prohibition in some configurations; Virginia Beach uses conditional-use permits in most zones. |
What trips hosts in Virginia Beach
- Virginia Beach's CUP is a council vote about your house — the timeline and the politics are part of the compliance cost.
The private layer still applies
These are the city's rules. Your HOA, condo board, lease or mortgage can say no on top of them — that layer is printed as a warning in the checker, never merged into the city's verdict.
Sources: Virginia Beach Zoning Ordinance (STR / CUP provisions; Sandbridge SGA overlay) · City of Virginia Beach STR program. Rules checked October 2026.