LicensedRental

Virginia city rules

Chesapeake, VA vacation rental rules and taxes

Chesapeake’s zoning treats short-term rentals as tourist homes or bed and breakfasts, which need a City Council conditional use permit and are allowed only in agricultural (A-1) areas and the South Norfolk historic overlay. Its residential districts don’t list them at all. Stays owe 6% sales tax plus an 8% lodging tax and $2 a night.

Checked against official sources November 7, 2026
Market
About 115 Airbnb listings
Where allowed
A-1 and the historic overlay only
With a conditional use permit. The residential districts’ use list doesn’t include tourist homes or short-term rentals.Source
Use permit fee
$900
Taxes
6% sales + 8% lodging + $2 a night

We read Chesapeake’s zoning through a published copy of the code; confirm with the city before you buy or list. We found no city short-term rental registry.

What to do

  1. Ask zoning before you list

    Chesapeake’s residential districts don’t list tourist homes or short-term rentals, and uses that aren’t listed aren’t allowed. Tourist homes and bed and breakfasts can be approved by City Council as a conditional use in agricultural (A-1) areas and in the South Norfolk historic overlay, where the home must be the owner’s residence. Ask Zoning Administration about your address.Source

  2. Apply for a conditional use permit

    The application fee is $900. By one guide’s reading of the code, the permit lapses after a year without operating and doesn’t transfer to a new owner.Source

  3. Taxes on each stay

    Stays under 90 days owe 6% sales tax, and stays under 30 days also owe the local transient occupancy tax. Airbnb collects both on its bookings. If guests pay you directly, file sales tax with Virginia Tax. For direct bookings, register with the Commissioner of the Revenue and file the 8% lodging tax plus $2 per room per night every month.Source

Fees

Conditional use permit application$900

Source

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 Spot something out of date?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.