Your First 60 Days in Virginia

Deadlines That Start the Day You Arrive

1. Within 30 days: title and register your vehicles. Virginia requires both within 30 days of moving, and you need Virginia insurance first (Virginia DMV).
2. Within 30 days: register vehicles with the city. Norfolk's code requires vehicles moved into the city to be registered with the Commissioner of the Revenue. Call 757-664-7884 or email [email protected].
3. Within 60 days: get a Virginia driver's license (30 days for a commercial license).
4. Book a safety inspection. Virginia requires one every 12 months. Emissions testing is not required in Norfolk or anywhere else in Hampton Roads; that program covers Northern Virginia only.
5. Register to vote. Register online through the Virginia Citizen Portal, or at the Norfolk Office of Elections, 810 Union Street Suite 100, 757-664-4353. The deadline is 11 days before most elections.

Personal property (vehicle) tax bills are due June 5, with supplemental bills in March and December. Late payments add a penalty of 10 percent or $10, whichever is greater, plus interest.

Utilities and City Services

• Water: apply online or call Norfolk Utilities at 757-664-6700, weekdays 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. A $20 activation fee appears on the first bill.
• Electricity: start service with Dominion Energy Virginia.
• Trash and recycling: collected on the same day each week, with recycling every other week. Look up your day on the city's collection schedule. Carts go out no earlier than 5 p.m. the night before and by 7 a.m. on collection day. Bulk pickup is requested a day ahead through MyNorfolk or Norfolk Cares at 757-664-6510.
• Pet licenses: Norfolk licenses dogs and cats at four months old, with a current rabies certificate. Fees are $25 intact and $5 altered, or $2 altered for owners 55 and over, due January 31.
• Library card: free to Virginia residents and to anyone who works in Norfolk; bring photo ID and proof of Virginia residence.
• Tax relief: Norfolk's Real Estate Tax Relief Program serves owner-occupants 65 and over or totally and permanently disabled, within income and net worth limits. Applications run February 1 to June 1 at 741 Monticello Avenue.

Fees and deadlines as published in September 2026; confirm current figures with the city.

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