info@propmanageplus.com540-218-8969
Landlord PortalTenant Portal

Short-term rental rules

How to get a short-term rental approved in Town of Warrenton, Virginia

Warrenton has no "short-term rental" use, so a whole-home rental is zoned as a Tourist Home, which is lodging only for up to 5 persons. A Tourist Home is allowed by right in the Central Business District with a zoning permit and site development plan, and in the R-15 and R-10 districts only with a $750 Special Use Permit decided by Town Council after Planning Commission review. A Bed and Breakfast requires the operator to live on site and caps stays at 14 consecutive days. Every rental collects the town's 4% lodging tax, which covers stays of up to 90 days.

Verified against the sources below on 2026-09-23. Outside town limits, Fauquier County rules apply instead.

Approval
3 paths
Permit fees
$75 or $750,
Public hearings
0 to 2, by path
Lodging tax
4%
Request a feasibility checkFind a local manager

Which permit you need

By right in the Central Business District2,3,4,8,12

A Tourist Home, Inn, or Bed and Breakfast on a property zoned CBD Central Business District.

Fee:
$75 zoning permit ($200 with conditions-of-development review; no zoning permit fee when filed with a site plan), plus site plan review
Decided by:
Town Community Development staff, through site development plan review and a zoning permit
Public hearings:
0
Timeline:
No public hearing. A site development plan under Article 10 is required, and zoning approval must be in hand before the town will issue a business license.

Special Use Permit in R-15 and R-102,6,7,8

A whole-home Tourist Home (up to 5 persons) in the R-15 or R-10 residential district. The owner does not have to live on site.

Fee:
$750, plus $300 for each additional use, plus the cost of advertising and property notice mailings
Decided by:
Town Council, after Planning Commission review
Public hearings:
2
Timeline:
Required pre-application meeting, then Planning Commission review and a Town Council decision. Council may add conditions that run with the property.

Owner-occupied Bed and Breakfast by Special Use Permit2,4,6,7,8,1

An operator who lives on the premises (or adjacent on the same lot) and rents up to 4 guest rooms, in R-15, R-10, R-6, R-40, or R-E.

Fee:
$750, plus $300 for each additional use, plus the cost of advertising and property notice mailings
Decided by:
Town Council, after Planning Commission review
Public hearings:
2
Timeline:
Required pre-application meeting, then Planning Commission review and a Town Council decision. A zoning permit is also required.

How the process works

  1. STEP 1

    Feasibility check

    Confirm the zoning district: a whole-home Tourist Home is by right only in the CBD and needs a Special Use Permit in R-15 or R-10. Check the 5-person limit and the parking requirement for your district.

  2. STEP 2

    Application

    In the CBD, file a site development plan and zoning permit. For a Special Use Permit, hold the required pre-application meeting, then file a statement of justification, a 1,000-foot vicinity map, a site plan, and the traffic, facilities, police and fire, lighting, noise, and screening analyses the Zoning Administrator does not waive.

  3. STEP 3

    Decision

    CBD: no public hearing. Special Use Permit: Planning Commission review, then a Town Council decision, which may add conditions that run with the property.

  4. STEP 4

    Launch

    Get the town business license (zoning approval comes first), register with the Finance Department as a lodging tax collector at the same time, and file the 4% lodging tax return by the 20th of each month.

The rules

What counts
The zoning ordinance has no short-term rental use. A whole-home rental fits a Tourist Home: a dwelling where only lodging is provided for compensation for up to 5 persons and open to transients. Other lodging uses are Bed and Breakfast Facility, Inn, and Hotel.1
Where it is allowed
By right: Tourist Homes, Inns, and Bed and Breakfasts in the CBD Central Business District (Article 3 as amended by ZOTA-26-1, adopted 7-14-2026). By Special Use Permit: Tourist Homes in R-15 and R-10; Bed and Breakfasts in R-15, R-10, R-6, R-40, and R-E. No lodging use is listed in RT, RMF, RO, PSP, C, or I.2,3
Guest limit
A Tourist Home is limited to 5 persons. A Bed and Breakfast is limited to 4 guest rooms without cooking facilities.1
Bed and Breakfast rules
The owner lives in and manages the home. Stays run no longer than 14 consecutive days. No restaurant (morning food service for guests only), and no events, meetings, or receptions. Safe public-road access is required.1,4
Parking in the CBD
0.75 spaces per room for rent, on site or by off-site agreement within 500 feet. Only Town Council, on a Planning Commission recommendation, can waive it.4
Parking elsewhere
One space per accommodation (room or suite) plus one per employee on the largest shift. A Bed and Breakfast needs one off-street space per guest room plus the residents' spaces, not in the front yard.5,4
Owner occupancy and caps
Owner occupancy is required only for a Bed and Breakfast. The ordinance sets no cap on the number of rentals.1,4,2
Not a home occupation
The home occupation definition excludes tourist homes, so a whole-home rental cannot be approved as a home occupation.1
Business license
Required before you start, and it cannot issue until zoning approval is received. Apply each year by April 15 and pay the gross-receipts tax by June 30: the greater of $30 or $0.1683 per $100 (personal services) or $0.2678 per $100 (real estate services), with the Finance Department deciding the class.12,13
County registry
Fauquier County's $50 short-term rental registry applies only outside the incorporated towns, so it does not apply in Warrenton.15

Lodging taxes

TaxRateFiled withWhenAirbnb and VRBO collect it?
Town of Warrenton lodging tax10,11,14,16Inside town limits, on stays of up to 90 consecutive days. The county's 2% does not also apply.4%Town Finance DepartmentMonthly, by the 20th of the following month (quarterly if approved when the tax averages $100 a month or less). Collectors keep 3% when they file on time.Not confirmed

What sinks applications here

No short-term rental use

The ordinance lists no short-term rental use, and a whole home only fits as a Tourist Home in the CBD, R-15, or R-10. Before advertising a whole home you will not live in outside the CBD, get a zoning determination letter ($350 per the town fee schedule).

Bed and Breakfast is not an investor path

It requires the operator to live on the premises or on the same lot, and it caps each stay at 14 consecutive days.

Assuming the platform pays the town tax

The town lodging tax ordinance puts the duty on whoever receives payment and has no booking-platform provision. Register with Town Finance and do not assume Airbnb or VRBO remits the 4%.

Earn while you wait

Stays of 30 to 90 days: Warrenton's lodging tax covers any stay of not more than 90 consecutive days, so a 30 to 90 day stay still owes the town's 4%, even though the county's tax stops at 30 days.10,14 A furnished mid-term lease can carry the home while the permit is pending. How mid-term rentals work.

Management pricing

Short-term (under 30 days)

20%

Of nightly accommodation revenue. Guest cleaning fees are not included in the fee. Sign up online

Mid-term (30 days or more)

15%

Of rent collected, including stays while your permit is pending. Mid-term rentals

Long-term (12-month leases)

7% to 10%

Of rent collected: 10% for one to four doors, down to 7% at twenty-five or more. Long-term rentals

Questions owners ask

  1. 01Do I pay Fauquier County's 2% lodging tax or the county's $50 registry fee in Warrenton?

    No. Warrenton levies its own 4% lodging tax, so the county's 2% does not apply inside town limits, and the county registry covers only property outside the incorporated towns.

  2. 02Can I rent out a whole house I do not live in?

    Yes, as a Tourist Home for up to 5 persons: by right in the Central Business District, or with a Special Use Permit from Town Council in R-15 or R-10. A Bed and Breakfast requires you to live on site.

  3. 03Is the zoning ordinance changing?

    The town is doing its first comprehensive Zoning Ordinance update since 2006, and a Module One draft has been posted for input. Check the current text before you apply.

Sources

  1. 1.Town of Warrenton Zoning Ordinance, Article 12 Definitions, Bed and Breakfast Facility, Tourist Home, Inn, Home Occupation (Updated October 2024). Retrieved 2026-09-23.
  2. 2.Town of Warrenton Zoning Ordinance, Article 3 Districts, 3-4.11.2 (CBD); 3-4.1.3 (R-15); 3-4.2.3 (R-10); 3-4.3.3 (R-6); 3-4.6.3 (R-40); 3-4.7.3 (R-E) (As amended by ZOTA-26-1, adopted 7-14-2026). Retrieved 2026-09-23.
  3. 3.Town of Warrenton Zoning Ordinance page, ZOTA-26-1. Retrieved 2026-09-23.
  4. 4.Town of Warrenton Zoning Ordinance, Article 9 Supplemental Regulations, 9-5.1, 9-5.2, 9-26, 9-26.1. Retrieved 2026-09-23.
  5. 5.Town of Warrenton Zoning Ordinance, Article 7 Parking, Parking table (Updated April 2022). Retrieved 2026-09-23.
  6. 6.Town of Warrenton Zoning Ordinance, Article 11 Special Use Permits, 11-3.10.1 to 11-3.10.4 (Updated April 2022). Retrieved 2026-09-23.
  7. 7.Town of Warrenton Applications and Permits. Retrieved 2026-09-23.
  8. 8.Town of Warrenton Community Development Fee Schedule (Ord. 2018-05, effective 7-1-2018; amended 9-13-2022). Retrieved 2026-09-23.
  9. 9.Town of Warrenton Community Development. Retrieved 2026-09-23.
  10. 10.Town of Warrenton Code, Tax on Transient Room Rentals (Lodging), 15-121 to 15-129 (Ord. of 6-12-1986; codified through Ord. 2026-06 (5-12-2026), Supp. 49). Retrieved 2026-09-23.
  11. 11.Town of Warrenton Lodging Tax. Retrieved 2026-09-23.
  12. 12.Town of Warrenton Business License. Retrieved 2026-09-23.
  13. 13.Town of Warrenton Business License Application, Page 3, rates. Retrieved 2026-09-23.
  14. 14.Fauquier County Code, Transient Occupancy Tax, 8-101 to 8-106 (Ord. 25-04, 7-10-2025). Retrieved 2026-09-23.
  15. 15.Fauquier County Code, Short-Term Rental Registry, 8-238 (Ord. 24-03, effective 7-1-2024). Retrieved 2026-09-23.
  16. 16.Code of Virginia 58.1-3819 (county lodging tax inside towns). Retrieved 2026-09-23.

Local rules change. We recheck these sources on a schedule and before every filing; if you spot a change, tell us at info@propmanageplus.com. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Questions about a property in Warrenton? Call 540-218-8969 or send us the address.