Franklin County, Virginia
Unincorporated Franklin County, VA vacation rental requirements
Franklin County requires every short-term rental to join its registry ($200 a year), pass an annual inspection, and post an evacuation plan and its approved occupancy. Rentals are allowed by right in unzoned areas and the PCD and RPD districts, need a special use permit in A-1, and are prohibited everywhere else. Stays pay 5.3% sales tax plus the county’s 7% lodging tax.
Checked against official sources November 7, 2026Download checklist (PDF)Free. A printable version of this guide to tick off, with the official sources.
Your licensing checklist
In order: the state, the county, then the town.
Commonwealth of Virginia
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 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
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
Franklin County, Virginia
Then your town or area
Each incorporated town sets its own zoning and lodging tax; the county’s rules apply outside town limits. Pick your area.
Franklin County (outside Rocky Mount and Boones Mill)
Check your zoning
Short-term rentals (30 days or less) are allowed by right in unzoned parts of the county and in the PCD and RPD districts. In A-1 you need a special use permit, with hearings before the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors; if it’s denied, you can’t rent. All other districts prohibit them.Source
Join the registry and book the inspection
Apply to the Short Term Rental Registry, pay the $200 annual fee, and give written consent to inspection. After you apply, schedule the compliance inspection; you or your representative must be on site. Bring proof of septic approval if the home is on septic.Source
Post the evacuation plan and occupancy
Post an evacuation plan where guests can clearly see it, and a notice showing the home’s approved occupancy.Source
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. Franklin County’s 7% lodging tax is filed monthly with the Commissioner of the Revenue by the 20th, even in months with no rentals.Source
Fees
| Short-term rental registry | $200 a year |
|---|
Inspection checklist
What the inspector looks for, from Franklin County (outside Rocky Mount and Boones Mill)’s published checklist.
- Fire extinguishersType 2A-10BC, wall-mounted in a common area or the kitchen on each floor.Source
- Smoke detectorsIn every living area and bedroom.Source
- Bedroom egressEach bedroom must meet building code egress rules.Source
- Evacuation planIn the home, clearly visible to guests.Source
- Septic approvalProof of approval for homes on septic.Source
House rules for guests
Sources
- Guidelines for sales tax on accommodations (P.D. 21-116) · Virginia Tax
- Short-term rental registries (Va. Code § 15.2-983) · Virginia General Assembly
- Short-Term Rentals · Franklin County Planning and Community Development
- Transient Occupancy Tax · Franklin County Commissioner of the Revenue
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.