Luray, Virginia

Short-term rentals are legal in the Town of Luray but require a discretionary Special Use Permit granted by the Planning Commission and Town Council after a public hearing. There is no by-right operating path: each application is reviewed case-by-case with neighbor input and the concentration of existing lodging houses on the same street as key factors.

Approved SUPs typically carry standard conditions: a maximum of six guests, off-street parking for all guest vehicles, and a single identification sign no larger than four square feet. Operators must also obtain a Town of Luray business license and register for state and local taxes. There is no documented owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement and no town-wide cap on the number of permits.

The Town’s Transient Occupancy Tax is 6%, raised from 5% in April 2022. This rate applies to properties within town limits. Properties in unincorporated Page County fall under the county’s separate 10% TOT rate.

On March 10, 2025, the Town Council adopted a lodging house resolution (passed 4-1) formalizing SUP evaluation criteria covering neighborhood impact, concentration of existing lodging houses, and the applicant’s compliance history. A possible zoning ordinance amendment (Article V, Section 519) was referred to the Planning Commission for public hearing. No numeric cap or blanket ban was imposed. Enforcement severity is rated moderate, with unregistered operators flagged for operating without licenses or remitting TOT.