Permitted accessory uses and structures.
Richmond, Va., City Code § 30-402.2
in effectSec. 30-402.2. - Permitted accessory uses and structures.
Accessory uses and structures, including the following, which are customarily incidental and clearly subordinate to permitted principal uses, shall be permitted in the R-1 district (see Article VI, Division 9 of this chapter):
(1) Private garages, garden, tool and storage buildings, boathouses, piers and docks;
(2) Home occupations;
(3) Day nurseries when located within churches, or other places of worship, community centers or school buildings, provided:
a. A minimum outdoor play area of 100 square feet for each child enrolled shall be furnished on the premises, but not within a required front yard;
b. The play area shall be enclosed with a continuous opaque structural fence or wall not less than four feet in height, and such fence or wall shall not be located within a required front yard;
c. No play equipment or structure shall be located within a front yard or a required side yard;
(4) Parking areas;
(5) Reserved;
(6) Swimming pools, tennis courts and similar recreational facilities;
(7) Temporary structures, trailers and storage of equipment and materials incidental to construction activities taking place on the premises, provided that such shall be removed upon completion or abandonment of construction. In the case of public improvements construction taking place within a public right-of-way, such construction-related activities shall be permitted on property abutting the construction site when approved by the Director of Public Works and when operated and maintained in accordance with standards established by said Director;
(8) Raising or keeping of domestic animals for noncommercial purposes on lots occupied by single-family dwellings, provided that all pens, runs, out-buildings and other facilities for the housing or enclosure of such animals shall be located not less than 200 feet from all property lines. The restrictions set forth in this subsection shall not apply to the keeping of dogs, cats or other household pets or to the keeping of not more than six female chickens in residential districts. In addition, with regard to the keeping of not more than six female chickens:
a. No fenced area, pen or structure for the keeping of such chickens shall be located closer than 15 feet to any dwelling on an adjacent lot;
b. No fenced area or pen for the keeping of such chickens shall be located within any required front yard or street side yard; and
c. No structure for the keeping of such chickens shall be located within any required yard (see Chapter 4);
(9) Temporary housing of not more than 30 homeless individuals within churches or other places of worship, subject to meeting applicable building code and fire code requirements, for up to a total of seven days and only within the time period beginning on October 1 of any year and ending on April 1 of the following year;
(10) Adult day care facilities when located within churches, other places of worship or community centers;
(11) Wireless communications facilities, microwave relay facilities, and radio broadcast antennas, on alternative support structures, in accordance with the additional requirements of Sections 30-692.1 through 30-692.6;
(12) Short-term rental, subject to the requirements of Article VI, Division 14 of this chapter;
(13) One accessory dwelling unit located on the same lot as a single-family dwelling, provided that:
a. The accessory dwelling unit cannot exceed one-third of the floor area of the main single-family dwelling or 500 square feet, whichever is greater.
b. An accessory building with an accessory dwelling unit shall be subject to the requirements of Article VI, Division 9 of this chapter.
c. Access to an accessory building with an accessory dwelling unit shall be provided in accordance with requirements of the Department of Public Works and Department of Fire and Emergency Services.
(Code 1993, § 32-402.2; Code 2004, § 114-402.2; Code 2015, § 30-402.2; Code 2020, § 30-402.2; Ord. No. 2004-180-167, § 1, 6-28-2004; Ord. No. 2012-74-84, § 1, 6-11-2012; Ord. No. 2013-47-47, § 1, 4-8-2013; Ord. No. 2019-343, § 1(30-402.2), 6-22-2020; Ord. No. 2020-171, § 1(30-402.2), 9-28-2020; Ord. No. 2023-196, § 1, 9-25-2023; Ord. No. 2024-314, § 2(30-402.2), 12-9-2024)
Source: City of Richmond, Virginia, Code (2026 recodification) and Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/va/richmond/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CH30ZO_ARTIVDIRE_DIV2SIMIREDI_S30-402.2PEACUSSTFetched: 11/8/2026