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Find out what you need to know about getting settled in your new home, from locating housing to setting up utilities.
Housing
Student housing or general housing info?
Utilities
Electricity
Dominion Power
1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357)
Phone Center Hours: Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Unless utilities are included in your lease, you’ll need to call Dominion Virginia Power to apply for service. They generally request at least 24-hour notice, and the connection day must be Monday through Friday. Keep in mind that they may run a little behind schedule when students are arriving in town. Utility accounts may also be set up online.
Deposit: You may be requested to pay a $90 or $180 deposit, depending on the type of heating and/or air conditioning at your address. Customers who have had previous good credit with Dominion Power or another electric company may not need to pay the deposit. When calling to set up an account, Dominion Power will run a credit check to determine if a deposit is needed. Deposits earn simple interest and are refundable after 12 months of good credit. A $15 nonrefundable connection fee is also charged to all customers. If you move before 12 months are up, your deposit is applied to your final bill and any remainder is refunded.
Gas Service
City of Charlottesville
City Hall, Utility Billing, Corner of 7th and E. Main St.
Gas and water service: 434-970-3211
A municipal gas and water system services most of Charlottesville and the surrounding area. Requests for service can be made over the phone or through the Internet. Accounts can also be set up online.
The city usually provides next-day gas service, if the request is made before noon. The tenant making the request should be present during the service window provided by the utility, otherwise a $30 rescheduling fee will be charged. Deposit: The refundable deposits can be waived with a letter of credit. The deposit required for first-time customers using gas to heat their homes is normally $250. If gas is used only for cooking or hot water heaters, the deposit is normally $75. All customers must pay a $30 connection fee. Even if the normal $75 deposit is waived with your letter of credit, all customers must pay a $30 connection charge.
Water Service
Albemarle County Service Authority
434-977-4511
168 Spotnap Rd. (off South Pantops Dr.)
Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
An $8 fee applies to each new account. Accounts can be set up by e-mail at custserv@serviceauthority.org. (Provide name, address and date to be connected/disconnected). Be sure to coordinate your billing changeover date with the previous owner or your landlord; it is usually not possible to resume service on the same day once it has been cut off.
Local Cell Phone Service
Trash and Recycling
City of Charlottesville
434-970-3830
City residents must pay for city trash pick-up, which includes curbside recycling pick-up, by affixing stickers (like using a stamp) on trash bags. You may purchase individual trash stickers (13-gallon bag that contains no more than 25 pounds of trash or a 32-gallon bag that contains no more than 50 pounds) or annual decals at local grocery stores. For prices and purchase sites, see www.charlottesville.org (link to Trash). Your trash collection may be included in your rent; ask your landlord.
Albemarle County
Albemarle County does not provide trash collection. Each county resident must dispose of their waste themselves, or contract with a private disposal hauler of their choice. Haulers serving Albemarle County are required to offer curbside pick-up of recyclables. If you rent, trash service is normally included in your rent, but ask your landlord before you sign your lease.
McIntire Road Recycling Center
434-977-2976
611 McIntire Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22902
Recycles newspaper, paper products, corrugated cardboard, milk jugs, glass, aluminum and steel cans, plastic containers marked No. 1-2 (but with numerous exceptions), plastics No. 3-7, and clothes. There is a also a little shed where you can put books you no longer want, and look around for any of your neighbors' old books or magazines to take home. You are asked to take no more than 10 books. Used books can also be donated to the Jefferson Madison Regional Library's annual sale by dropping them off at the JMLR's Gordon Avenue branch.
Rivanna Solid Waste Authority
434-977-2970
695 Moores Creek Ln, Charlottesville, VA 22902
Cable
Comcast Xfinity
1-800-XFINITY (1-800-934-6489)
Comcast provides service from basic analog cable (about 10 channels for about $15) up to digital and high-definition premium packages (digital starter at about $50 a month for 12 months). Call or check online for current promotions.
Other Television
DirecTV
1-855-842-4388
DirecTV is a satellite television service offering a variety of basic and premium channel packages ranging in price from $40 to $115 a month.
Dish
1-844-728-7793
Dish is a satellite television service that offers various packages of channels ranging in price from $50 to $80 a month. Premium channels must be subscribed separate.
Internet Service
On-Grounds housing already includes high-speed Internet connections, and many of the apartments close to the Law School offer high-speed connections also (check with the landlord).
If you do need Internet connections at home, there are a few options to choose from, so be sure to shop around.
Motor Vehicles
License Tags
If you are a Virginia resident with Virginia tags and a current Virginia inspection sticker on your car, you will not need to have your car inspected in Charlottesville until the normal expiration date.
If you are an out-of-state resident and your car is used to drive a family member to and/or from work in the state of Virginia, you must register that car. Work performed for scholarships or grants puts your car into the "must-register" category.
If there are two or more cars in the household and one member of the household is a full-time student, the car(s) used for transportation by the student does not have to be registered. The car used for transportation to and/or from work by a person must be registered. You must register at least one car if you are earning income in the state of Virginia, even if you are using other means of transportation.
By law, car registration is required within 30 days of moving to Virginia. If you have recently purchased a car, you need to register your car (purchase tags) and have your car inspected, unless these tasks have already been completed by the previous owner. However, as long as one family member is a full-time student and no one in the family is earning income in the state of Virginia, you may retain "out-of-state" status.
Check out details on how to register and title your vehicle in Virginia.
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
804-497-7100 / 866-368-5463
2055 Abbey Road, Charlottesville
Hours: Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat 8 a.m.-12 p.m.
At this location, new Virginia residents can do the following:
Purchase Virginia license plates
First you must change your car's title to Virginia. In order to change your title you must have your car title from your former place of registration or proof that you paid sales tax when you purchased your car, and $10 to pay the title fee. All persons listed on the title do not need to be present at registration, but a signature is required for each person listed on the title. The DMV accepts credit cards to pay the fees below.
Proof of sales-tax payment varies with the state you came from, but a call to the License Office should establish what you need. If you did not pay sales tax when you purchased your car, you will be required to pay 3 percent of your car's "blue book" value. Be sure to make a copy of your sales-tax proof because the License Bureau will retain the original proof.
Virginia vehicle registration is $40.75 for a car weighing under 4000 lbs. and $45.75 for a car weighing over 4000 lbs. Inspection tags are $16 and must be obtained annually through various garages and dealerships.
Purchase a Virginia driver's license
List of acceptable documents to get a license or photo ID card.
Note to international students: If you are planning to drive in the United States, you must obtain a Virginia driver's license from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) as soon as possible. You can only use your foreign driving license or an international driving permit for up to 30 days, starting from the day you arrive in the U.S. Non-U.S. license holders are required to take a vision test, a driving theory test (multiple choice), and a short practical driving test. Two proofs of identification and proof of Virginia residency (e.g. a lease agreement on your house or apartment) are required before taking the test. The test is based on the Virginia Driver's Code, a copy of which can be obtained from DMV. It is recommended that you study the Code carefully before taking the theory test, as you may be asked some quite specific questions about braking distances, parking regulations, etc.
Insurance
You do not need to show proof of insurance when registering your car, but you will sign a statement that says you do have insurance from a company licensed to do business in Virginia. Insurance agents are listed in the yellow pages of the Charlottesville telephone book.
Note to International Students: International students should be aware that unless they have had a U.S. driver's license for three years they will have difficulty finding car insurance at normal rates. If you are considering purchasing a car when you come to the U.S. or are shipping a car to this country, the insurance rates may influence your decision as to what type of car you buy. It is recommended that you purchase car insurance initially for a six-month period, after which time you can attempt to renegotiate a better premium on the basis of that six-month U.S. driving history.
Tax (Virginia Personal Property Tax)
All persons residing in Virginia who own automobiles are subject to a personal property tax based on the average loan value ("blue book" value) of their automobile. This is filed when city or county tags are purchased. The first half of the tax is due June 5 and the second half is due December 5.
If you are a resident of another part of Virginia, read carefully: By a strange quirk in the law, students who have residency in another part of Virginia (not in Charlottesville or Albemarle County) and are not locally employed, but own their own automobiles must pay the personal property tax in their home county or city—that is, their place of residency.
On the other hand, if your car is owned by your parents, or by you and your parents, you must pay the local (Charlottesville or Albemarle County) property tax (even if you are a resident of another part of Virginia). You can give a copy of your personal property tax receipt to the local authorities in your home county or city to prove you have already paid the tax.
Useful contacts:
City of Charlottesville Treasurer's Office
434-970-3146
605 E. Main St. Room A120
Revenue and Taxation Division
434-296-5851
Preston & 400 McIntire Rd., Finance Department
University Car Registration
UVA Parking and Transportation Department
434-924-7231
Millmont St. (Behind Barracks Road Shopping Center)
Parking space is one of the scarcest resources at the University. Students wishing to park on Grounds will have to purchase a UVA parking permit. You will receive more information about parking at registration.
Standard commuter permits: Most students who drive to school purchase this type of permit, also called a Blue permit. Blue permit parking is available at University Hall and at the lower half of the lot serving The Park, the complex of softball fields just east of the Law School. Bus service is available from the University Hall lots to the Law School at 10-minute intervals. The bus system is free to all students. The University Hall lot is about a 10-minute walk from the Law School. Blue permits cost $19 a month, or $228 annually. The permit year runs from June through May. Cost is prorated. Recently, the department implemented the Occasional Parking Program at various parking locations on Grounds to encourage the use of alternative transportation. Those who normally bike or walk to their class or workplace can now purchase these Occasional Parking Permits to allow them to use their vehicle when they are unable to bike or walk (i.e. bad weather days, running late, etc.).
Pets
Charlottesville is a pet-friendly community. Many law students have found apartment complexes very close to the school that allow pets.
Dog Registration
Dogs four months or older must be registered with the City of Charlottesville or Albemarle County, depending upon your place of residence. Once your dog is registered, it will receive a tag to wear on its collar.
Albemarle County
Purchase Dog License
434-296-5851
Albemarle County Office Building, Preston & McIntire
City of Charlottesville
Purchase Dog Tags
434-970-3146
City Hall, East Market & 7th Street, N.E.
Pet Training, Daycare and Kennels
All Things Pawssible
434-972-7297
1201 Stoney Ridge Rd.
The Dogg House
434-975-DOGS (3647)
2101 Berkmar Drive
Pet Motel
434-295-3679
1187 5th St. SW
Wakefield Kennel
434-973-5171
798 Wakefield Farm, Earlysville
Dog Parks
Darden Towe Park
1445 Darden Towe Park, Charlottesville, VA 22911
Azalea Park
304 Old Lynchburg Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22902
Chris Greene Lake
4748 Chris Greene Lake Road Charlottesville, VA 22911
Claudius Crozet Park
1075 Claudius Crozet Pk, Crozet, VA 22932
Shopping
These are popular shopping areas close to the Law School, but there are many more stores in Charlottesville and surrounding areas — just search online to find what you are looking for.
Shopping Centers
Barracks Road Shopping Center
1117 Emmet St N, Charlottesville, VA 22903
With a short walk of the Law School, Barracks Road features Kroger and Harris Teeter grocery stores, Chipotle, Five Guys, Bed Bath & Beyond, Barnes and Noble. For clothes, Talbots, Chico, Madewell, The Loft, Old Navy, Anthropologie and Banana Republic, among others.
The Corner
Located along University Avenue across from the Rotunda and is a favorite among students.
Downtown Mall
The Downtown Mall is a vibrant collection of more than 120 shops and 30 restaurants housed in historic buildings along the city's Main Street. Enjoy dining al fresco at a number of fine restaurants or shop at a number of unique boutiques. Charlottesville's community showpiece, the pedestrian outdoor mall is a popular place to hang out and people-watch outside the University. Numerous restaurants, bookstores and coffee shops line the mall, and it hosts Fridays After Five, with the City Market on Saturdays housed in the Water Street parking lot.
The Shops at Stonefield
Businesses include Trader Joe's, Costco, Burtons Grill, William Sonoma, Whimsies children's store and Pottery Barn. This mixed-use development includes residential living.
5th Street Station
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Dick's Sporting Goods, Hair Cuttery, Field & Stream, GNC, Great Clips, Planet Fitness, Wegmans, Jersey Mike’s, Krispy Kreme and more.
Charlottesville also features big box stores such as Costo, Kohl's, Lowes, Sam’s Club, Staples, Target, and Walmart.
Grocery Stores
Charlottesville has several grocery store chains, including Food Lion, Harris Teater, Kroger, Trader Joe's, Wegmans, and Whole Foods.
Specialty food stores include African Market of Charlottesville, Asian Market, C'ville Oriental, El Tio Variedades, Express Grocery, Foods of All Nation, Indian Bazaar, Latino Market, Medina Market and Halal Meet and Grocery, and Super Amancer.