Most moves to Richmond start with one question: the city, Henrico or Chesterfield? Each is a separate locality with its own schools and tax bill. A local real estate agent can show you what is on the market; the rules and numbers that should shape the choice are in the posts below.
Once the boxes are in, the first weeks bring deadlines: a Virginia license within 60 days, the car titled within 30, utilities in your name and school registration. Local resources for new residents help with the details; this blog lays out the order to do them in.
From the blog
Before you sign a lease or make an offer in Richmond, check five things the city publishes for free: the parcel and zoning maps, whether the street is in an Old and Historic District, what is planned nearby, the school zone and the neighborhood’s civic group.
A budget-building guide for a move to Richmond using official figures: Census rents and owner costs, the city’s real estate and car tax rates, the 6 percent sales tax and 1 percent grocery rate, the meals tax and a sample city water bill.
How to register a new student with Richmond Public Schools: the online Enroll RPS account, finding your zone school, kindergarten and preschool age rules, and the Open Enrollment and selective school application windows for 2027-28.
Start here
If you read nothing else, read this: the moving decisions in the order they usually come up.
In Virginia a city is not part of a county, so the first choice is Richmond city, Henrico or Chesterfield, and it decides your school division and much of your tax bill. Rents differ too: the Census puts median gross rent at $1,372 in Richmond city, $1,541 in Henrico and $1,629 in Chesterfield for 2020 to 2024. Inside the city, check the parcel and zoning maps and whether a street sits in an Old and Historic District before you fall for a house. Choosing a Richmond Neighborhood: The City’s Own Maps and Rules Every Newcomer Should Check lists the maps.
Richmond’s real estate tax is $1.20 per $100 of assessed value and its vehicle tax $3.70 per $100. Most purchases carry 6 percent sales tax, groceries 1 percent, and Virginia’s income tax tops out at 5.75 percent above $17,000 of taxable income. The city’s own sample water and wastewater bill for 6 Ccf a month comes to $132.48. The Cost of Living in Richmond, VA: Housing, Taxes, Utilities and Everyday Spending pulls these into one budget.
The DMV clock starts on arrival: 60 days to switch to a Virginia license and 30 days to title and register a car. Drivers 18 and older whose out-of-state license expired less than a year ago do not need driver training or tests. If you moved during the tax year, Virginia generally expects a part-year return on Form 760PY. Virginia Income and Sales Tax for New Residents: Part-Year Returns, Rates and Deductions explains the return.
Richmond Public Schools registers new students online through Enroll RPS, at the zone school for your address. For the following year, Open Enrollment and selective school applications have their own windows. Virginia’s School Quality Profiles show each school’s accreditation and performance level, but the state warns its maps may not match attendance zones, so confirm the zone with the division. Comparing Schools in the Richmond Area: How to Read Virginia’s School Quality Profiles explains the labels.
Richmond averages about 45 days a year at 90 F or hotter and 8.8 inches of snow, by NOAA’s normals. The bigger risk is water: the James River at Westham reaches minor flood stage at 12 feet, and the National Weather Service’s advice for flooded roads is short: turn around, don’t drown. If you look at homes near the river, check the flood history before you sign. Richmond Weather and Flood Risk: Hot Summers, Light Snow and a River That Rises has the crests.
In Virginia a city is not part of a county, so living in Richmond, Henrico or Chesterfield means a different government, school division and tax bill. Census data on housing, income and commutes, plus what the three share.
How the City of Richmond taxes homes and vehicles: the $1.20 real estate rate and its January and June due dates, how to appeal an assessment, the $3.70 vehicle rate due June 5, the 60-day rule for new residents and why car tax relief fell from 58 percent to 22 percent.
Virginia’s School Quality Profiles rate every public school with an accreditation status, a performance level and a framework score. What those labels mean for a family choosing between Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield, with the counts for each division and the checks that matter more than a single number.
Every GRTC bus in the Richmond region is free to ride. How the Pulse bus rapid transit line, local routes, LINK on-demand vans and the airport connections work, and what to know before you rely on them.
Moving to Virginia mid-year means a part-year return. How Virginia defines residents, the 2 to 5.75 percent rate schedule, the standard deduction for 2025 through 2028, estimated payments, and how sales tax works in Richmond.
The Virginia DMV deadlines and steps for people moving to Richmond: switching your out-of-state license, choosing REAL ID, titling and registering your car, the annual safety inspection and why emissions testing does not apply here.
What Richmond’s climate is really like month by month, based on NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normals, and how to judge flood risk from the James River, with the National Weather Service’s flood stages and historic crests.
In the City of Richmond, water, wastewater, natural gas and stormwater all come from the city’s Department of Public Utilities. How each is billed, the current residential rates with the city’s own sample bill, the 7 percent utility tax and what to do if you smell gas.
Families moving to Richmond with a teenager often ask when the in-state tuition rate applies at Virginia’s public colleges. What the Code of Virginia requires: one year of domicile, clear and convincing evidence, and the factors colleges weigh, with a timeline for planning a move.
Reader questions
Short answers, each from the office or law that sets the rule.
No. Under the Code of Virginia a city is an independent incorporated community, separate from the surrounding counties, so Richmond city, Henrico and Chesterfield each have their own government, school division and taxes. See Richmond City, Henrico or Chesterfield? How the Three Localities Compare for People Moving In.
New residents with a valid out-of-state license may drive for their first 60 days in Virginia without a Virginia license. A car registered in another state may be driven for the first 30 days of residency; after that it must be titled and registered in Virginia. Details in New to Virginia: Driver’s License in 60 Days, Car Title and Registration in 30.
The City of Richmond charges $1.20 per $100 of assessed value, paid in halves due January 14 and June 14. If you disagree with an assessment, appeal to the City Assessor within 30 days of the notice. See Richmond Real Estate and Car Taxes: Rates, Due Dates, Appeals and the Shrinking Car Tax Relief.
Yes. The city’s personal property tax on vehicles is $3.70 per $100, due June 5. State car tax relief under the PPTRA has shrunk: it covered 58 percent of the eligible tax in 2015 and 22 percent in 2024. See Richmond Real Estate and Car Taxes: Rates, Due Dates, Appeals and the Shrinking Car Tax Relief.
No. All GRTC buses are zero fare, and you can board at any open door. The Pulse runs between Willow Lawn and Rocketts Landing every 10 minutes at weekday peak times. See Getting Around Richmond: Zero-Fare Buses, the Pulse, LINK Microtransit and the Airport.
All families enrolling in RPS for the first time complete an online registration through Enroll RPS, and students register at their zone school unless they win an Open Enrollment seat elsewhere. The 2027-28 Open Enrollment window runs from October 1, 2026, to January 31, 2027. See Enrolling Your Child in Richmond Public Schools: Zone Schools, Open Enrollment and Key 2026-27 Dates.
The student, or the parent of a dependent student, must show at least one year of Virginia domicile before the date of entitlement, by clear and convincing evidence. Moving mainly for college does not count. See Qualifying for In-State Tuition in Virginia After a Move: The One-Year Domicile Rule.
The James River does. The National Weather Service’s flood stages for the river at Richmond-Westham start at 12 feet for minor flooding, and the highest crest on record there was 28.62 feet on June 23, 1972. See Richmond Weather and Flood Risk: Hot Summers, Light Snow and a River That Rises.
