The
ordinance
to permit short-term rentals (Ordinance No. 2019-343) was adopted by City Council on June 22,
2020. The effective date of the ordinance is July 1, 2020.
The ordinance permits short-term rentals as an accessory use to a dwelling unit or permitted accessory dwelling
unit in all zoning districts which permit residential uses under the following conditions:
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Who can operate a short-term rental:
The short-term rental operator shall be the property
owner. The short-term rental shall be on the lot of the operator’s primary residence with the operator
occupying the lot at least 185 days each year.
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Approval Process:
Certificate of Zoning Compliance (CZC) for Short-term Rental (Short-Term
Rental Permit) is to be obtained on a biennial basis. The Biennial Fee for CZC is to be $300 which is
intended to cover administration and monitoring costs. Each Certificate of Zoning Compliance shall
be effective from January 1 of the year in which such certificate is obtained to December 31 of the
following year, regardless of the date on which the owner obtains the certificate.
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Advertising:
The Certificate of Zoning Compliance approval number shall be posted on all
advertisements for the property.
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Number of nights a short-term rental can operate:
The number of nights a short-term rental can operate is not limited.
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Number of persons who can rent per night:
The total number of adult renters allowed in a
short-term rental shall be limited to two adults per available sleeping room. Double booking which
consists of more than one booking transaction occurring at the same time is not allowed. The
number of children per rental is not limited. Occupancy may be further limited under the Building
Code.
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Number of sleeping rooms available for rental:
The total number of sleeping rooms available
for rental is limited to a maximum of 5 sleeping rooms.
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Unhosted vs. Hosted Stays:
This legislation does not distinquish between hosted and
unhosted stays; whole house rentals (unhosted stays) are permitted in all zones as the operator is
not required to be on site during the stay.
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Signage:
The short-term rentals within the R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-6, R-7, R-8, R-43 and R-48
zoning districts are permitted to have signage consistent with the signage allowed for home
occupations which consists of one non-illuminated wall sign not to exceed two square feet. Short-term
rentals in other zoning districts are permitted to have signage as permitted by the district.
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Safety Requirements:
Smoke detectors shall be present in compliance with the current edition of
the Virginia Residential Construction Code. A fire extinguisher shall be present and be accessible at
all times. Carbon monoxide detectors shall be present in any room used for sleeping or cooking.
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Parking:
No additional parking is required for the short-term rental use.
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Events:
Events and gatherings of persons other than the authorized lodgers are prohibited from
occurring at the short-term rental.
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Review of Implementation:
City Planning Commission will review the implementation of the
ordinance after one year to determine if amendments to the ordinance are needed.
Applying for a Short-Term Rental Permit:
Beginning July 1, 2020, applicants can apply for a Short-Term Rental Permit through the City’s Online Permit
Portal
(https://energov.richmondgov.com/EnerGov_Prod/selfservice#/home).
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)
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A dimensioned floor plan of the layout of the dwelling unit, on which the following are labeled:
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the use of each room;
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the occupancy level of sleeping rooms;
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the cooking facilities, if applicable;
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the location and size of emergency egress and rescue openings; and
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the location of fire extinguishers and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
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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).
Reporting a Zoning Violation regarding a Short-Term Rental:
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@richmondgov.com.
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.
Input on the Implementation of Short-Term Rental Regulations:
Ordinance No. 2019-343 requires City Planning Commission to review the implementation of the ordinance after
one year to determine if amendments to the ordinance are needed. If you would like to provide comments on the
implementation of the ordinance to be shared with City Planning Commission, please contact Marianne Pitts at
Marianne.Pitts@richmondgov.com
or
(804)646-5207.
Background Information
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.
Short-Term Rentals Regulation Proposal Timeline:
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
3/26/2019 to 5/31/2019 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.
Meetings on Short Term Rentals
PDR staff hosted two public meetings on the draft STR regulations:
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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
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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:
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Councilwoman Newbille’s 7th 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
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Councilwoman Larson’s 4th District Meeting:
Thursday, March 28, 2019, from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at the Huguenot Community Center, 7945 Forest Hill Avenue
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Councilwoman Gray’s 2nd 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
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Councilman Jones 9th 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
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Councilwoman Robertson’s 6th District Meeting:
Tuesday, April 23, 2019, from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at the Main Library, 101 East Franklin Street
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Councilman Addison’s 1st District Meeting:
Wednesday, April 24, 2019, from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at Mary Munford Elementary School, 211 Westmoreland Avenue
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Councilman Hilbert’s 3rd District Meeting:
Thursday, April 25th, 2019, from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at Fire Station 14, 2934 Hawthorne Avenue
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Councilman Agelasto’s 5th District Meeting:
Thursday, April 25th, 2019, from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Swansboro Elementary School, 3160 Midlothian Turnpike
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Councilwoman Trammell’s 8th District Meeting:
Thursday, May 16, 2019, from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at the Satellite Restaurant & Lounge, 4000 Jefferson Davis Highway
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