City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Chesapeake, VA
How Chesapeake regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Rules here limit which homes may operate as short-term rentals, how many, where, or for how many nights a year.
- residential-zone exclusion: bed and breakfast/tourist home establishments (Chesapeake's STR category) permitted in only two of the city's zoning districts
- discretionary/deniable Conditional Use Permit required even within the two permitted districts (A-1 Agricultural and HC Historic/Cultural Preservation Overlay) — not by-right
- all standard residential districts (R-, RE-, MF-, etc.) categorically excluded — no by-right or administrative path to whole-home STR in residential zoning citywide
- HC district carries an additional cutoff: structures built after November 15, 2001 are ineligible regardless of CUP
Based on: Chesapeake Zoning Ordinance, Article 13 (Supplemental Regulations) §13-1600 et seq. "Bed and breakfast/tourist home
Summary of the rule
Bed and breakfast/tourist home establishments shall be permitted as a conditional use in the A-1 agricultural district and in the historic and cultural preservation overlay district ("HC district") only.
Last reviewed Sep 15, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Chesapeake · system last checked Oct 24, 2026
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City Watch provides good-faith summaries of publicly available information as of the review date shown. Rules, enforcement, and permit availability can change, and summaries may contain errors or omissions. Ratings describe the general regulatory environment; they do not establish whether a particular property or stay is permitted. This is general information, not legal advice. Before buying, listing, or hosting, verify applicable requirements with the responsible authorities and review any HOA, condominium, deed, or lease restrictions.