LicensedRental

Virginia city rules

Martinsville, VA vacation rental rules and taxes

Martinsville’s zoning allows short-term rentals by right in residential and mixed-use districts, but the owner must live on the property full time. Other rules: two adults per bedroom, off-street parking, no meals, and an owner or overseer on call around the clock. Stays pay 5.3% sales tax plus the city’s lodging tax.

Checked against official sources November 7, 2026
Market
About 73 Airbnb listings
Where allowed
By right in residential and mixed-use districts
Owner residence
Required
The owner must live on the property full time.Source
Guests
2 adults per bedroom
Children under 12 don’t count.Source
City registry
Not set up yet
Once the city adopts one, register within 90 days of your first guest or listing.Source

The code says these rules take full effect once the city adopts a registry and an inspection and penalty system. Ask the city whether it has.

What to do

  1. Check that you qualify

    You can rent a room, the whole home, or a qualifying accessory unit, but only on a property where you live full time. The home must meet building and health codes and have off-street parking for guests unless the zoning administrator waives it.Source

  2. Run it the way the code requires

    Don’t serve food or drinks, and don’t put up signs. Provide full cleaning, linens, towels, and bathroom supplies, and be reachable 24/7 (or name an overseer who is).Source

  3. 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. Ask the Martinsville Commissioner of the Revenue for the city’s lodging tax rate and how direct bookings file it.

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 Spot something out of date?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.