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Virginia city rules

Roanoke, VA vacation rental rules and taxes

The City of Roanoke treats renting rooms in your own home as a “homestay,” which needs a special exception from the Board of Zoning Appeals in residential neighborhoods: up to two guest bedrooms and four guests, with the owner there during stays. Whole-home short-term rentals aren’t a listed use in the city’s residential districts. Stays pay 5.3% sales tax plus the city’s 8% lodging tax.

Checked against official sources November 7, 2026
Market
About 340 Airbnb listings
Roanoke addresses, city and county together (AirROI).Source
Homestays
Special exception in residential districts
A public hearing before the Board of Zoning Appeals, with a sign on the property and notice to neighbors.Source
Homestay limits
2 guest bedrooms, 4 guests
The owner lives there during guest stays; one homestay per property; stays of 30 days or less.Source
Whole-home rentals
Not listed in residential districts
Uses not listed in the residential table aren’t allowed there. Planned unit developments (MXPUD, INPUD) list short-term rentals.Source
Taxes
5.3% sales + 8% lodging tax

Roanoke updated its zoning code in 2024 and amended the lodging section again in July 2026. We read the code through a secondary publisher, and the official version is on Municode. Confirm your district’s rules with city zoning before you list.

In October 2026 Cardinal News reported that the city had data showing hundreds of rental owners weren’t properly registered. Ask the Commissioner of the Revenue what registration it expects.

What to do

  1. Check your zoning district

    Ask city zoning which use fits your plan. A homestay (rooms in the home you live in) is allowed by right in most commercial and downtown districts and by special exception in residential districts and MX. A whole-home short-term rental is listed only in some planned unit developments, so ask before you buy.Source

  2. Apply for a special exception

    In a residential district, apply to the Board of Zoning Appeals. You post a sign on the property and the city notifies neighbors before a public hearing. A homestay can have no more than two guest bedrooms and four guests, and the owner must live there during stays.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. Roanoke’s lodging tax is 8% of the room charge. For direct bookings, register with the city’s Commissioner of the Revenue.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.