LicensedRental

Fauquier County, Virginia

Warrenton, VA vacation rental requirements

Warrenton’s zoning lists tourist homes, inns, and bed and breakfasts in its Central Business District, where a 2026 amendment would make them allowed by right instead of by special use permit. We didn’t find a short-term rental use in its other districts. Stays pay 5.3% sales tax plus the town’s 4% lodging tax.

Checked against official sources November 7, 2026

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Market
About 30 Airbnb listings
Warrenton 33 (AirROI).Source
Downtown (CBD)
Tourist homes by special use permit
A 2026 amendment recommended by the Planning Commission would allow them by right.Source
Other districts
Not confirmed
Ask town zoning.Source
Taxes
5.3% sales + 4% town lodging tax

Fauquier County’s short-term rental permit covers the county outside its towns. We read only Warrenton’s downtown district rules; confirm everything with the town.

Your licensing checklist

In order: the state, the county, then the town.

Commonwealth of Virginia

  1. Know who pays the tax

    When a platform like Airbnb books the stay, it collects and pays the state sales tax and the local lodging tax for you. If guests pay you directly, register with Virginia Tax for sales tax and with your county or city for the transient occupancy tax.Source

    Register a business with Virginia Tax →

  2. Register with your locality if it has a registry

    Many counties and cities require short-term rental hosts to register every year. Registration is a simple filing (your name, each address, and the owner’s permission if you lease the home), but listing an unregistered rental can cost up to $500 per violation.Source

  3. Check your zoning

    Counties and cities keep their power to decide where short-term rentals are allowed and whether you need a zoning or use permit. HOA and condo rules still apply on top. Pick your area for the local rules.Source

Fauquier County, Virginia

  1. Then your town or area

    Towns set their own zoning and some set their own lodging tax. The county’s rules apply outside town limits. Pick your area.

Town of Warrenton

  1. Ask town zoning what applies

    In the Central Business District, tourist homes, inns, and bed and breakfasts have needed a special use permit from Town Council; in May 2026 the Planning Commission recommended allowing them by right. Ask the Zoning Administrator whether that passed and what applies to homes in the residential districts.Source

  2. Taxes on each stay

    Stays under 90 days owe 5.3% 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. Warrenton levies its own 4% lodging tax. For direct bookings, ask the town how to file it, and whether Fauquier County’s tax also applies inside town limits.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.