LicensedRental

Virginia county rules

Shenandoah County, VA vacation rental rules and taxes

Shenandoah County, with the Bryce Resort area around Basye, requires an annual $225 zoning permit, a safety inspection, and Health Department sign-off for short-term rentals outside town limits; homes with five or more guest bedrooms need a special use permit. Stays pay 5.3% sales tax plus the county’s 5% lodging tax.

Checked against official sources November 7, 2026
Market
About 500 Airbnb listings
Basye 249, Mount Jackson 102, New Market 51, Woodstock 45, Strasburg 37, Edinburg 30 (AirROI).Source
County permit
$225 a year
Annual zoning permit for up to four guest bedrooms; five or more need a special use permit.Source
Lodging tax
5%, filed monthly by the 20th
Even in months with no rentals.Source
Sales tax
5.3%

Inside the towns (Woodstock, Strasburg, New Market, Mount Jackson, Edinburg, and others), ask the town about zoning and its lodging tax. We have short pages for Strasburg and New Market but couldn’t read any town’s zoning code yet. Virginia Tax’s chart lists town lodging taxes of 7% in Woodstock, 6% in Strasburg, 7% in New Market, 5% in Mount Jackson, and none in Edinburg or Toms Brook.

What to do

  1. Then your town or area

    Towns have their own zoning and some levy their own lodging tax. The county’s rules apply outside town limits. Pick your area.

Towns

Full guide

New Market

We couldn’t confirm New Market’s zoning rules for short-term rentals. Stays owe 5.3% sales tax + 7% town lodging tax; Airbnb collects these on its bookings.

Full guide

Strasburg

We couldn’t confirm Strasburg’s zoning rules for short-term rentals. Stays owe 5.3% sales tax + 6% town lodging tax; Airbnb collects these on its bookings.

Full guide

Unincorporated Shenandoah County

Outside town limits, Shenandoah County requires an annual $225 zoning permit for a short-term rental with up to four guest bedrooms, after a safety inspection and a Health Department check that the septic system fits the bedroom count. Five or more guest bedrooms need a special use permit. Stays pay 5.3% sales tax plus a 5% lodging tax.

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 Spot something out of date?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.