The Mathews County Planning Commission, at its meeting on Tuesday in the historic courthouse, voted unanimously to recommend that the board of supervisors approve changes to the regulations governing short-term vacation rental properties.
The changes, if adopted, would include a requirement that the owner obtain a short-term vacation rental zoning permit and an annual business license from the commissioner of the revenue.
Additionally, the proposed regulation includes verbiage referring to sections of the Virginia Code related to short-term vacation rental properties.
One such reference states that Virginia allows localities by ordinance to establish a short-term rental registry and requires operators to register annually, and that the business licenses would comprise such a registry in Mathews. Failure to register annually “could result in fines not exceeding $500 per violation,” says the proposed regulation.
The document also refers to the Virginia Code allowing localities to levy ad...