Short-Term Rentals

Beginning July 1, 2020, applicants can apply for a Short-Term Rental Permit through the City’s Online Permit Portal. Required documentation to apply includes the following:

• Short-Term Rental Owner Affidavit acknowledging compliance with the rules for operating a short-term rental (See Supporting Documentation in the Online Permit Portal for a copy of the Short-Term Rental Owner Affidavit)
   
• A dimensioned floor plan of the layout of the dwelling unit, on which the following are labeled:

               1.   the use of each room;
               2.   the occupancy level of sleeping rooms;
               3.   the cooking facilities, if applicable;
               4.   the location and size of emergency egress and rescue openings; and
               5.   the location of fire extinguishers and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

• Proof of Primary Residency: See the Owner Affidavit for required documentation.  

Prior to issuance of the Certificate of Zoning Compliance for the Short-Term Rental Permit, an inspection of the building, structure or premises shall be required in order to verify conformance with applicable regulations (Sec. 30-1020.3 of City Code).
 

If you are aware of a property operating a Short-Term Rental without a Short-Term Rental Permit or in violation of the rules for operating a short-term rental, contact the Zoning Administration office via telephone at (804) 646-6340 or send an email to: PDRZoningAdministration@rva.gov. Additionally, complaints can be submitted via RVA311.

Please provide a detailed description of the violation and an accurate property address. Once an alleged violation is reported to our office, it is assigned to enforcement staff for investigation by researching records and, if necessary, performing an on-site inspection. If our office determines that a property violates a zoning requirement, a Violation Notice & Correction Order is sent to the owner and/or occupant of the property. The violator is normally given thirty (30) days to abate the violation, as Virginia law requires a 30-day appeal period. If a violation is not abated or an appeal filed, a summons may be issued for criminal court. Violation of the Zoning Ordinance is a Class I misdemeanor, subject up to a $2,500 fine and/or up to a year in jail.

Short-term rental (STR) is the transient occupancy of a dwelling unit for a period of less than 30 consecutive days. These rentals are often advertised and processed through online platforms and include both the rental of a whole house or only a room or rooms within a house.  Prior to the approval of Ordinance No. 2019-343, short-term rentals were not identified as a permitted use in the City’s Zoning Ordinance and have been authorized through the approval of Special Use Permits.

In 2017, the General Assembly passed SB 1578 which preserves the ability for localities to establish local regulations and allows for the creation of a registry for short term rentals. In response to this enabling legislation, Planning and Development Review (PDR) convened an internal working group of directors and staff from PDR, Finance, and the City Attorney’s Office to establish regulations to permit short term rentals under certain terms and conditions. PDR obtained community input on the proposed regulations, which were drafted after a review of legislation in other localities and of the current operations of short term rentals in the City of Richmond. A survey was conducted from 3/26/19 to 5/31/19 which asked participants’ opinions on the conditions included in the draft zoning regulations. The internal working group amended the draft legislation based on the survey results and public input received.

• Online Survey on Short-Term Rentals Regulation [Survey closed on 5/31/2019]
   
• Summary of Survey Responses
   
• All Survey Responses

PDR staff hosted two public meetings on the draft STR regulations:

• Public Meeting #1: Saturday, May 4, 2019, from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. in the basement auditorium of the Main Library, 101 East Franklin Street 
   
• Public Meeting #2: Tuesday, May 14, 2019 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at the Richmond Central DMV, 2300 West Broad Street

Additionally, PDR staff attended the following meetings to present on STRs:

• Councilwoman Newbille’s 7^th District Meeting: Tuesday, March 26, 2019, from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at the Richmond East District Initiative Government Services Building, 701 North 25th Street 
   
• Councilwoman Larson’s 4^th District Meeting: Thursday, March 28, 2019, from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at the Huguenot Community Center, 7945 Forest Hill Avenue 
   
• Councilwoman Gray’s 2^nd District Meeting: Tuesday, April 9, 2019, from 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. at the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center, 2401 West Leigh Street 
   
• Councilman Jones 9^th District Meeting: Thursday, April 18, 2019, from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at the South Side Community Center, 6255 Old Warwick Road 
   
• Councilwoman Robertson’s 6^th District Meeting: Tuesday, April 23, 2019, from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at the Main Library, 101 East Franklin Street 
   
• Councilman Addison’s 1^st District Meeting: Wednesday, April 24, 2019, from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at Mary Munford Elementary School, 211 Westmoreland Avenue 
   
• Councilman Hilbert’s 3^rd District Meeting: Thursday, April 25th, 2019, from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at Fire Station 14, 2934 Hawthorne Avenue 
   
• Councilman Agelasto’s 5^th District Meeting: Thursday, April 25th, 2019, from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Swansboro Elementary School, 3160 Midlothian Turnpike 
   
• Councilwoman Trammell’s 8^th District Meeting: Thursday, May 16, 2019, from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at the Satellite Restaurant & Lounge, 4000 Jefferson Davis Highway

• Resolution No. 2015-R42-47 
   
• Short-Term Rentals Preliminary Report to the Richmond City Council and City Planning Commission, October 14, 2015