New Fees/Rates Effective July 1

A balanced operating budget is a legal requirement of municipalities in Virginia, and our community is no exception to this mandate. Among the priorities identified by City Council is maintaining level of services that our residents have come to expect from the City’s 38 departments.  

Cuts were made where necessary and appropriate, however, some fee increases were an unavoidable cost of doing business. Most of the fee increases here are ones that won’t be applied unless you specifically choose to engage with those services or programs – but some are applied to everyone. 

Public Library

Virginia Beach Public Library (VBPL) has seen demand for digital materials from streaming services and databases rapidly increase.  

To ensure that digital media demands are met and sustainably funded, VBPL will introduce a digital service fee to nonresident users to access services including Hoopla, Overdrive, and Kanopy.  

On July 1, nonresident users can pay $15 to access Hoopla, Overdrive, and Kanopy for three months or $60 for 12 months. 

Public Utilities 

Revenue collected from the water service availability, water usage and sanitary sewer charges on the combined City Services Bill helps fund the operations necessary to provide a safe and reliable water supply and essential sanitary sewer services. 

These charges also help fund the maintenance, repair, rehabilitation and replacement of water and sanitary sewer systems throughout the City, helping to extend the life of the infrastructure and reduce the potential for costly and inconvenient system breaks. 

Water Service Availability Fee  
The new water service availability fee will be $6.30 per month, an increase of 30 cents. The service availability fee is based on water meter size and helps offset costs associated with maintaining and reading the meter.  

Water Usage Rate 
The new water usage rate will be $6.54 per 1,000 gallons, an increase of 31 cents. Water usage charges are determined based on a meter reading taken the day the account is billed. This increase will help fund continued reliable water service and improvements to the public water system.

Sanitary Sewer Fee 
There will be no increase to the sanitary sewer fee in the FY 2027 budget.

Public Works 

Trash and Recycling Can Replacement Fee 
The new trash can and recycling can replacement fee will be $100 per can, a $25 increase. 

Yard Debris Trailer Rental Fee 
The new fee for a one-day rental will be $50, a $10 increase. A weekend rental will now cost $150, increasing by $75. 

Parks & Recreation 

Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation will see an increase in fees for several of its programs including memberships, room rentals, pool rentals, gym rentals, early childhood and out-of-school time and aquatics certification courses.  

These increases will help the department keep pace with the cost of operation and maintenance of spaces associated with recreation centers and assist with the funding plan to renovate the three oldest recreation centers in the next 10 years.  

Out of School Time (OST) Fees 
Out of School Time includes 12 different fees for child-care services, based on several factors (before- vs. after-school services, number of contact hours, registration fee, summer camp fees and more). Overall, fees are increasing between $10 to $50, depending on the program.

Recreation Services Fees 
Room and pool rentals will increase between $5-$15, depending on the size. 

• Exclusive Small Room Rental: $50 (currently $45)
• Exclusive Large Room Rental: $76 (currently $70) 
• Exclusive Small Room + Pool Rental (30 people): $175 (currently $170)   
• Exclusive Small Room + Pool Rental (31-45 people): $200 (currently $195) 
• Exclusive Large Room + Pool Rental: $251 (currently $245) 
• Commercial Small Room Rental: $88 (currently $80) 
• Commercial Large Room Rental: $132 (currently $120)  
• Exclusive Gym Half/Full Court Rental: $60/$116 Commercial (currently $55/$105)  
• Gym Half/Full Court Rental: $134/$160 (currently $121/$145) 

Aquatics Fees 

• Sprayground Rental at Williams Farm Park: $150 (currently $125)
• Lifeguard Certification Course: $250 (currently $200) 
• Lifeguard Recertification Course: $175 (currently $150) 
• Lifeguard Instructor Certification Course: $300 (currently $200) 
• Lifeguard Instructor Recertification Course: $125 (currently $50) 
• Water Safety Instructor Certification Course: $300 (currently $200) 

Shelter/Event Area/Equipment Rental Fees 
The rental fees are increasing between $5 and $200, depending on the type and size of rental. 

• Resident Large Shelter Rental: $150 (currently $140) 
• Nonresident Large Shelter Rental: $210 (currently $200) 
• Resident Medium Shelter Rental: $75 (currently $70) 
• Nonresident Medium Shelter Rental: $105 (currently $100) 
• Resident Small Shelter Rental: $40 (currently $35)  
• Nonresident Small Shelter Rental: $55 (currently $50) 
• Resident & Non-resident Mount Trashmore Stage/Area Rental: $1,200 (currently $1,000) 
• Snowmobile Rental: $600 (currently $500)  
• Flatbed Stage Rental: $300 (currently $250) 
• Bleachers Rental: $300 (currently $250) 

Early Childhood All-Day Childcare Fee 
The all-day childcare fee has increased by $55 to $847 monthly. Programs remain competitively priced for the level of service being provided, and the fee increase reduces the program’s reliance on direct City funding. 

Membership Fees 
Parks and Recreation’s FY 2027 budget includes fee increases to several of the department’s programs and services, including a $5 increase to the resident membership fee for recreation centers. 

• Annual resident membership fee: $125 (currently $120) 
• Annual non-resident membership fee: $420 (currently $415) 
• Adult Day Pass: $15 (currently $12) 
• 30-Day Pass 
  • Residents: $30 (currently $27) 
  • Non-residents $55 (currently $50) 

• Budget