Special Use Permit for STR in Campbell County, VA
In the process of setting up my townhome as a STR. Called the local zoning office and they said they require a special use permit to operate legally. The first step is to write a narrative of why i am requesting the special use permit and other specifics about the request and about the home. I've heard they dont like STRs where the owner is not around a lot/ doesnt live there. I plan to manage the place myself and do regular checkups so i plan to include that information and anything that would show that i will be actively involved. Has anyone gone through this process that can provide tips to writing a good narrative for this? Any thoughts and advice is very appreciated! Thank you!
Honestly your best option is to rent your townhouse mid-term (30+ days depending on what your local jurisdiction allows), so that a SUP is not required
My husband & I live in Colorado and we purchased a home in Rustburg, VA (Campbell County) in 2017. We did apply for a Special Use Permit with the purpose of renting the home on the short term rental market.
We did have to write a letter explaining why we were applying for a special use permit (SUP).
Our letter explained:
"Who We Are": Introduction of ourselves, our occupations and the reason for our application for SUP in Campbell County.
"What We Do": We are experienced STR property owners, owning STR properties in CO and FL before purchasing the VA property; my experience as a former employee of Vrbo/Homeaway and how that experience has helped me understand the STR industry and contributed to the creation of my current business VRAssist (booking management company for owners of STRs).
"Why This Home": Explanation about why we wanted to purchase a home in VA, our connection to Liberty University as alumni and our intention to use the home ourselves with our family & friends when we are visiting Lynchburg.
"Our Guests": Our target audience is adults or families coming to Lynchburg to visit LU, either parents/grandparents of current students or adults attending an event or intensive course at LU. We explained how managing the property ourselves allowed us to be very particular about choosing to whom we would rent the house, screening guests to make sure they understand our pretty strict house rules and that they would be required to sign a rental agreement & provide a copy of their ID. We included a copy of our rental agreement for review.
Finally, we were able to report that in the years since purchasing our STR properties we've never had any complaints filed against us, our properties or our guests by any officials, neighbors or other guests staying at the properties.
We had to travel from CO to VA twice during the application process to attend Planning Commission meetings.
This was back in 2017, when STRs in Campbell County were few and far between, and our application was approved. Since then, I understand that the county has had a lot more discussion about how to handle STRs but as far as I know the process is still the same.
I'm a little bit surprised that you were told you needed to apply for a SUP...it is certainly possible that the rules have changed since our application, but it was my understanding that If the property is located in any business, industrial or Residential Multi-Family (R-MF) zoning district a SUP is not required, However, if the property is located in an Agricultural, Residential Single-Family (R-SF) or Residential Manufactured Housing district, a SUP is required. I would imagine your townhome falls within the "Residential Multi-Family" category, and if so, would not require a special use permit. You might want to double-check that just to make sure whoever told you that you needed a SUP wasn't assuming your home was in an R-SF zone.
Check this out:
Existing Definitions and Zoning Districts for Short-Term Rentals
This document found on the Campbell County, VA website is dated Mar 18, 2020, so it could be that things have changed since then, but I was not able to find anything since then to contradict this information.
You should be sure to check with your townhome community, especially if there is an HOA. They may have placed restrictions on short term rentals in the community, which would prevent you from offering your town home to STR guests.
I hope this helps! Best wishes for your application, I hope that you are successful!
