LicensedRental

Loudoun County, Virginia

Unincorporated Loudoun County, VA vacation rental requirements

Outside its towns, Loudoun County requires a free yearly short-term rental registration and a zoning permit with a floor plan and parking drawing. Renting part of a home you live in (or its accessory unit) is capped at 180 days a year; a home used only as a rental may need a special exception. Stays pay 6% sales tax plus an 8% lodging tax.

Checked against official sources November 7, 2026

Download checklist (PDF)Free. A printable version of this guide to tick off, with the official sources.

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County registration
Every year by July 1, free
Online. Up to $500 per violation for an unregistered rental.Source
Zoning permit
Required, $165 by mail
Needs a floor plan and a parking drawing.Source
Accessory rentals
Up to 180 days a year
Rooms or an accessory unit at a home that is also lived in (STR-RA).Source
Whole-house rentals
By district, may need a special exception
A single-family home or ADU used only as a rental (STR-CWH).Source
Parking
1 extra off-street space
On top of the home’s required spaces.Source
Taxes
6% sales + 8% lodging tax

Serving food to guests can make the rental a bed and breakfast, which needs Health Department permits.

Rules in Countryside (Sterling) come from the county’s older 1972 zoning ordinance; check the county map to see which ordinance covers you.

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

Loudoun 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.

Loudoun County (outside the towns)

  1. Register with the county

    Register each rental online every year by July 1. It’s free. Owners the state exempts from registering, like those using a licensed real estate agent, still need the zoning permit.Source

    Loudoun short-term rental registration →

  2. Check whether you need a special exception

    Renting part of a home that’s lived in, or its accessory unit, is an accessory rental. Renting a whole house used only as a rental is a “commercial whole house” rental, and depending on your zoning district it may need a minor special exception or special exception. Request a pre-meeting through LandMARC if you’re unsure.Source

  3. Apply for the zoning permit

    The home needs an assigned address. Submit a floor plan showing the rented rooms and safety features, a parking drawing showing the house, the rental space, and the parking, septic capacity records if you’re not on public sewer, and road access papers for a whole-house rental without frontage on a major road. The mailed fee is $165.Source

  4. Register with the Commissioner of the Revenue

    Set up your tax account through the county’s eFile system. Report rental furnishings for business personal property tax every year by March 1. A business license tax applies if you offer more than seven overnight rooms.Source

  5. 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, file Loudoun County’s 8% transient occupancy tax every month by the 20th through the county’s eFile system.Source

Fees

$165 zoning permit; registration free

Zoning permit (mailed application)Online fees are paid through LandMARC.$165
Annual registration$0

Source

Inspection checklist

What the inspector looks for, from Loudoun County (outside the towns)’s published checklist.

  • Floor plan of the rented roomsShowing the safety features the application asks for.Source
  • Parking drawingThe dwelling, the rental space, and the required parking.Source
  • Septic capacity recordsIf not on public sewer; guest numbers can’t exceed the system’s capacity.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.