LicensedRental

Virginia county rules

Albemarle County, VA vacation rental rules and taxes

Albemarle County surrounds Charlottesville and allows short-term rentals only as “homestays” in a single-family home that is the owner’s primary residence; vacation homes aren’t allowed. Hosts need a zoning clearance, a yearly fire inspection, and an evacuation floor plan in every room. Stays pay 5.3% sales tax plus a 9% lodging tax.

Checked against official sources November 7, 2026
Market
About 120 Airbnb listings outside the city
Crozet 63, Scottsville 35, Free Union 17; Charlottesville itself has 688 (AirROI).Source
Sales tax
5.3%
Lodging tax
9%
Up from 8% on July 1, 2024. Scottsville levies its own 5%.Source
Local rules
County homestay rules
Owner-occupied single-family homes only, with an annual inspection.

What to do

  1. File the lodging tax every month

    Albemarle’s 9% transient occupancy tax is due by the 20th of the next month. Even when Airbnb or another platform pays the tax, you still file a return reporting your total receipts and what the platform paid.Source

    Albemarle transient occupancy tax →

  2. Then your town or area

    Zoning rules are set by the county outside town limits and by each town inside them, and towns can add their own lodging tax. Pick your area.

Towns

Full guide

Scottsville

Scottsville levies its own lodging tax; stays owe 5.3% sales tax + 5% town lodging tax. We could not search the town’s zoning code, so ask the town whether a short-term rental needs a permit.

Full guide

Unincorporated Albemarle County

Outside Scottsville, Albemarle allows short-term rentals only as homestays: a single-family home that is the owner’s primary residence, with the owner living on the parcel at least 180 days a year. Homes in residential zones or on under 5 rural acres can rent two bedrooms with the owner present; rural parcels of 5 acres or more can rent up to five and allow limited unhosted stays. Each homestay needs a zoning clearance, an annual fire inspection, and an evacuation floor plan in every room. Stays pay 5.3% sales tax plus a 9% lodging tax.

Sources

A plain-language summary to help you prepare, not legal advice. Rules and fees change; confirm with the office before you apply. Spot something out of date? Email hello@licensedrental.com.