LicensedRental

Middlesex County, Virginia

Urbanna, VA vacation rental requirements

Urbanna requires a town short-term rental permit from the zoning administrator before a rental can operate. The 2020 ordinance allows rentals by right in the R-1 and B-2 waterfront districts in a home the owner lives in at least 185 days a year, or a second home with a local manager. Stays pay 5.3% sales tax plus the town’s 5% lodging tax.

Checked against official sources November 7, 2026

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Market
18 Airbnb listings
Town permit
Required before operating
Town Code Sec. 17-5.18; apply to the zoning administrator.Source
Where allowed
By right in R-1 and B-2
Owner or local manager
185 days a year, or a local agent
A second home needs a local representative who manages it.Source
Taxes
5.3% sales + 5% lodging tax

We read the 2020 ordinance only through news reports. Get the current Sec. 17-5.18 from Town Hall before you list.

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

Middlesex County, Virginia

  1. Ask the zoning administrator about a tourist home

    Outside Urbanna, ask Middlesex County Planning & Zoning in Saluda whether your district allows a tourist home and what the 2023 amendments require (permit, occupancy, parking, septic). Concerns behind the amendments included over-occupancy straining septic systems, parking, and notice to neighbors.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. Middlesex County’s lodging tax is 5%. For direct bookings, ask the Commissioner of the Revenue how to register and file.Source

  3. Then your town or area

    Towns set their own zoning and lodging tax, and the county sets them outside town limits. Pick your area.

Town of Urbanna

  1. Apply for the short-term rental permit

    Get Sec. 17-5.18, the application, and the rules at Town Hall (300 Virginia Street), and file the application with the zoning administrator. A new rental can’t operate until the permit is granted.Source

  2. Line up a local manager if you don’t live there

    The home must be your primary residence (185 days a year) or a second home with a local representative or agent who manages it for you.Source

  3. Get a business license

    Pick up the town business license application and lodging tax forms at Town Hall.Source

  4. 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. Urbanna’s lodging tax is 5%, filed with the town on its forms. Ask whether the county’s 5% also applies in town.Source

House rules for guests

Guests (2020 draft)
Adults up to the number of permanent beds
Plus up to four children on cots or sofa beds; one rental structure per property. Confirm in the adopted text.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.