Independent trade coverage of the Commonwealth
Section
What regulators actually cite operators for, what it costs, and how the hearings process works when it happens to you.
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The Golden Pony drew a 30-day suspension and a $7,500 fine after serving an undercover Virginia ABC agent. Displaced shows moved to a manufacturing space and two houses, and Harrisonburg Fire shut all three.
VHN Staff · · Shenandoah Valley
The first-offense penalty schedule is public, specific, and almost nobody in the industry has read it. Twenty-six violations, the suspension days and the civil charge attached to each.
VHN Staff · · Statewide
Ten bodies can cite a Virginia hospitality business. Each one is a tag, so you can follow the ones that reach you.
Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority
License conditions, sales to minors, the food-to-beverage tiers, the MBAR, and since October 2026 the retail tobacco permit.
Reaches Anyone selling alcohol or nicotine
Official site →Virginia Department of Health, Office of Environmental Health Services
Restaurant permits and routine inspections under the Virginia Food Regulations, through your local health district.
Reaches Restaurants, bars, caterers, tasting rooms serving food
Official site →Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Food establishments outside VDH jurisdiction, food manufacturing and packaging, weights and measures, and the industrial hemp program.
Reaches Retail food, producers, farm operations, hemp growers
Official site →Virginia Cannabis Control Authority
The THC caps on retail hemp products, registration of hemp retailers, and the licensed retail market opening in 2027.
Reaches Any retailer selling a hemp or THC product
Official site →Office of the Attorney General of Virginia
The nicotine vapor product directory, tobacco escrow compliance, and consumer protection actions.
Reaches Vape and tobacco retailers
Official site →Virginia Department of Taxation
Sales tax and the local meals tax. These are trust taxes, which means personal liability, and they close more restaurants than health scores do.
Reaches Every operator, every month
Official site →Virginia Department of Labor and Industry
Wage payment and overtime, tip credit and tip pooling, child labor rules, and VOSH workplace safety.
Reaches Anyone with employees, which is the point of this list
Official site →Local fire marshal, under the Statewide Fire Prevention Code
Occupancy load, egress, suppression systems and the annual hood cleaning record. The occupancy number on your certificate is enforceable.
Reaches Every licensed premises, especially event spaces
Official site →County and city zoning administrators
Conditional use permits, hours, noise, parking and outdoor events. Local conditions often bite harder than state law.
Reaches Farm wineries, breweries, event venues, patios
Official site →Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (federal)
Federal basic permits, formula and label approval, and excise tax for producers.
Reaches Wineries, breweries, distilleries, cideries
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