EASTVILLE, Va. — Northampton County residents will have an opportunity this month to weigh in on proposed changes to the county’s short-term rental regulations, including new distinctions between owner-occupied rentals and properties operated without an owner living on site.
The Northampton County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 6 p.m. in the Board Chambers at 16404 Courthouse Road in Eastville.
At the center of the hearing is Ordinance 2026-002, a proposed zoning text amendment that would revise Northampton County’s rules governing short-term rentals, such as homes and rooms rented to visitors for brief stays.
The Planning Commission is expected to review the draft ordinance and develop a recommendation for the Northampton County Board of Supervisors, which will ultimately consider the proposed changes.
Owner-occupied and non-owner-occupied rentals
One of the most significant provisions of the proposal is a distinction between short-term rentals where the property owner is present on site and those where the owner is not.
The ordinance would specify the zoning districts in which each type of short-term rental could be permitted.
Under the proposal, short-term rentals where no owner is present on site would require a minor special use permit, adding an additional layer of county review for those properties.
The proposed ordinance would amend Sections 154.2.003 and 154.2.120 of the Northampton County Code, covering definitions and regulations governing short-term rentals.
Performance and enforcement standards
The proposal also would revise and expand the performance standards that short-term rental operators must follow.
In addition, Ordinance 2026-002 would establish enforcement provisions, including circumstances under which the county could revoke a zoning clearance or special use permit associated with a short-term rental.
Those provisions could become particularly important as Northampton County attempts to balance the role vacation rentals play in the Eastern Shore’s tourism economy with concerns about land use, neighborhood impacts and the growth of commercially operated rentals in residential areas.
The Sept. 15 hearing gives residents, property owners and other interested parties an opportunity to comment before the Planning Commission makes its recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.
How to review the proposal
A copy of the draft ordinance is available at the Northampton County Planning, Permitting and Enforcement Office in the County Administration Building. The office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The county also has made the ordinance and related materials available through its online public portal.
Northampton County public documents portal
The Planning Commission meeting begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, in the Board Chambers, 16404 Courthouse Road, Eastville.
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