How many hours' notice must a landlord give before entering in Virginia?

No fixed statutory period (see notice standard). Virginia sets two standards (§ 55.1-1229(A)). For ROUTINE MAINTENANCE the tenant has not requested, the landlord must give at least 72 hours' notice unless impractical. For all other entries, notice is required but no fixed period is set, and entry must be at reasonable times.

What reasons allow a landlord to enter a rental in Virginia?

A landlord may enter to inspect the premises, make repairs or improvements, supply services, or show the unit to prospective purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workmen, or contractors (§ 55.1-1229(A)(1)).

Can a landlord enter without notice in an emergency in Virginia?

Yes — Virginia recognizes an emergency exception to the entry-notice requirement.

Are there time-of-day limits on when a landlord can enter in Virginia?

Entry only at reasonable times; the statute sets no clock hours.

How much notice must a landlord give before entering in Virginia?

Verified July 9, 2026 All Virginia topics →

Legislative changes ahead — not yet in force. The rules on this page reflect the law in force today. The following measures would change it:

HB 678 (2026), c. 1066 — Already CHAPTERED but not yet effective: on July 1, 2027, § 55.1-1204(K)'s rent-increase notice for landlords with more than four units extends from 60 to 90 days before the end of the rental agreement term, and the notice must give the tenant a renewal-decision deadline no sooner than 30 days after delivery. The current 60-day rule (the figure shown on this page) governs until then.Status: Enacted 2026; effective 2027-07-01 per the official code site's version label (one Realtor-association summary says January 1, 2027 — the official 'Effective July 1, 2027' code version controls). Not incorporated until effective. (checked 2026-07-09).
HB 278 / SB 355 (2026) — local rent regulation ('anti-rent gouging') enabling act — Would let localities adopt rent-increase regulation. Failed in 2026: Senate committee voted 11-4 to continue the bill to the 2027 session, and the Virginia Housing Commission opened a study of local rent regulation in June 2026 — expect a 2027 return. Predecessor HB 2175 (2025, 3% local cap enabling) also died.Status: Continued to the 2027 session; not enacted. § 55.1-1201's supersession clause and the Dillon Rule continue to bar local rent control. (checked 2026-07-09).
HB 329 (2026), c. 1111 — Effective January 1, 2027, § 55.1-1258's retaliation rules expand: the lists of prohibited retaliatory acts and protected tenant conduct both grow, a tenant may recover actual damages and assert retaliation as a defense in any action brought for possession, and failing to renew the tenancy of a Housing Choice Voucher holder without good cause becomes a protected ground. The parallel § 55.1-1314 (Manufactured Home Lot Rental Act) changes with it.Status: Enacted 2026 (c. 1111); effective 2027-01-01 per the chapter. Not incorporated until effective. (checked 2026-08-12).
HB 95 (2026) — Effective July 1, 2027, landlords with 4+ units must offer payment plans for unpaid rent, with no additional late fees accruing while the tenant complies — a conditional overlay on the § 55.1-1204(E) late-fee rules.Status: Enacted 2026 (c. 1105); effective 2027-07-01 per the chapter's own enactment clause. Not incorporated until effective. (checked 2026-08-12).

Virginia requires 72 hours' notice before a landlord enters for routine maintenance the tenant didn't ask for — the specific number in the statute — while all other entries (inspections, tenant-requested repairs, showings) require simply giving notice and entering at reasonable times, with no fixed period.

Cited to Va. Code § 55.1-1229 (A) and 1 more Virginia statute · Verified July 9, 2026

The widely repeated claim that Virginia has a general 24-hour entry rule is wrong: the only '24 hours' in the section defines what counts as an emergency CONDITION needing immediate remediation, not a notice period, and genuine emergencies need no notice at all. Noticed routine maintenance must actually happen within 14 days — and since mid-2024 the notice itself must state the last date the work could possibly occur — tenants may not unreasonably refuse lawful entry, and a landlord who enters unlawfully, unreasonably, or harassingly faces injunctive relief, lease termination, actual damages, and attorney fees under a separate remedies section. The statute also gives the landlord a 30-day-notice power to relocate tenants temporarily (up to 30 days, comparable unit or hotel, at no cost to the tenant) to remedy non-emergency conditions.

Virginia entry notice at a glance

Advance notice required	No fixed statutory period (see notice standard)
Notice standard	Virginia sets two standards (§ 55.1-1229(A)). For ROUTINE MAINTENANCE the tenant has not requested, the landlord must give at least 72 hours' notice unless impractical. For all other entries, notice is required but no fixed period is set, and entry must be at reasonable times. The general rule covers entry for inspections, repairs, services, or showings, and it yields in emergencies or where notice is impractical. Noticed routine maintenance must be performed within 14 days of delivery of the notice, and the notice must state the last date on which the maintenance may possibly be performed (the performance-window and notice-content requirements were added by 2024 c. 46 / HB 701). The tenant may not unreasonably withhold consent.
Permitted reasons	A landlord may enter to inspect the premises, make repairs or improvements, supply services, or show the unit to prospective purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workmen, or contractors (§ 55.1-1229(A)(1)). The statutory list reads: inspecting the premises; making necessary or agreed-upon repairs, decorations, alterations, or improvements; supplying necessary or agreed-upon services; or exhibiting the unit to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workmen, or contractors. A tenant's own maintenance request needs no separate notice.
Emergency exception	Yes
Time-of-day restrictions	Entry only at reasonable times; the statute sets no clock hours.

Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, Virginia Landlord Entry Notice Laws (verified July 9, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/entry-notice/virginia/" — free to cite and quote with a link (how these records are verified). Every figure above is cited to the Virginia statute in the citations section below.

Notes and caveats

72 hours is the maintenance rule, not a general notice period — The 72-hour requirement governs only routine maintenance the tenant has not requested; the general rule is unquantified notice with entry at reasonable times. Treating 72 hours as Virginia's across-the-board entry notice would overstate the law.
The '24 hours' in this section is not a notice period — The classic Virginia misreading: the 24-hour figure defines an emergency condition for the temporary-relocation provision, not a period of notice before entry.
Remedies live in a different section — Relief for abuse of access is in § 55.1-1210, not § 55.1-1229.
No pesticide-notice provision exists here — Despite guides claiming a 48-hour pesticide notice, this section contains no such provision.
The 72-hour rule carries an escape valve — It applies 'unless impractical.'
What 2024 c. 46 (HB 701) added — The most recent amendment added the 14-day window within which noticed routine maintenance must actually be performed, and the requirement that the notice state the last date on which the maintenance may possibly be performed. The 72-hour figure itself predates it.
Tenant security devices — Tenants may install security devices with landlord keys (§ 55.1-1229(A)).

Common questions: Virginia entry notice

Each answer is the verified value from the table above, restated as a direct answer. Free to quote with a link to this page.

How many hours' notice must a landlord give before entering in Virginia?: No fixed statutory period (see notice standard). Virginia sets two standards (§ 55.1-1229(A)). For ROUTINE MAINTENANCE the tenant has not requested, the landlord must give at least 72 hours' notice unless impractical. For all other entries, notice is required but no fixed period is set, and entry must be at reasonable times.
What reasons allow a landlord to enter a rental in Virginia?: A landlord may enter to inspect the premises, make repairs or improvements, supply services, or show the unit to prospective purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workmen, or contractors (§ 55.1-1229(A)(1)).
Can a landlord enter without notice in an emergency in Virginia?: Yes — Virginia recognizes an emergency exception to the entry-notice requirement.
Are there time-of-day limits on when a landlord can enter in Virginia?: Entry only at reasonable times; the statute sets no clock hours.

Statute citations

Va. Code § 55.1-1229 (A) (verified 2026) Official source
Va. Code § 55.1-1210 (remedies for abuse of access) (verified 2026) Official source

How this record was verified: Direct read of statute text on the official Virginia Code site (law.lis.virginia.gov): §§ 55.1-1226, 55.1-1204 (both the current version and the 'Effective July 1, 2027' version), 55.1-1253, and 55.1-1229 each read in full twice (independent reads matched verbatim); §§ 55.1-1200 (definitions), 55.1-1201 (applicability/supersession), 55.1-1203, 55.1-1206, 55.1-1208, and 55.1-1210 read in full once. 2026 session laws (cc. 722/723, 1050, 1066, and the HB 15/SB 48 and HB 95 changes) identified via official code version labels and section history lines, cross-checked against practitioner summaries; 2026 HB 278/SB 355 status (continued to 2027) checked 2026-07-09. 2024 Acts of Assembly c. 46 (HB 701) read in full on legacylis.virginia.gov 2026-07-09 and its added language confirmed against the current § 55.1-1229 text, confirming the earlier reading.