Quick answer: Adults 21 and older in Virginia can grow up to 4 cannabis plants, and that’s the limit for the whole household, not per person. Plants must be at your main home, hidden from any public way, kept away from anyone under 21 and tagged. The 2026 retail law didn’t raise that number.

Last verified: October 30, 2026, against Va. Code § 4.1-1101 and the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority. Laws change, so check the official site before you plant.

How the limit works

Section 4.1-1101 says a person 21 or older can grow up to four plants for personal use, but “at no point” can a household contain more than four. A household means everyone living in the same home, related or not.

So in a two-adult home, you get 4 plants total, not 8. You could each grow 2, or one of you could grow all 4. Four roommates? Still 4. Your housemates’ plants count toward the same number.

The home-grow section doesn’t separate mature from immature plants, and it has no higher limit for medical patients. A safe habit is to count every plant you’ve got growing, from seedling on up.

The tag rule

Each plant needs a legible tag with your name, your driver’s license or ID number, and a note that it’s being grown for personal use as the law allows. The CCA offers a downloadable template. It’s an easy step to skip and an easy violation to avoid.

Where you can grow

You can only grow at your main place of residence, so a vacation cabin or a friend’s spare room won’t work. The law also says you must:

• Make sure no plant is visible from a public way without aircraft, binoculars or other optical aids.
• Take precautions to prevent unauthorized access by anyone under 21.
• Tag every plant.

The statute doesn’t require indoor growing or a specific kind of lock. A backyard plant isn’t automatically illegal, but if people can see it from the street or sidewalk, you’ve got a problem. Breaking any of these three rules brings a civil penalty of up to $25.

What changed in 2026?

Virginia’s 2026 budget law (2026 Sp. Sess. I, c. 1) made big changes, but the four-plant limit survived:

• Possession: the public limit went from 1 ounce to 2 ounces.
• Retail: legal retail sales begin July 1, 2027.
• Home grow: still four plants per household, with the same visibility, access and tag rules.

Renters, landlords and local rules

Renters should read the lease first. A 2026 Division of Legislative Services briefing says property owners and landlords may prohibit marijuana use or cultivation in rental housing agreements. So a no-grow clause counts, even though the plants would otherwise be legal.

We didn’t find a section of the home-grow law that addresses HOA rules or city and county limits. Treat that as unsettled, and check your HOA documents and local code before you plant.

How much of your harvest can you keep?

At home, the CCA lists possessing cannabis for personal use in your private residence as legal, and the weight limits in § 4.1-1100 apply to what’s on your person or in public. The public limit is 2 ounces. “Personal use” is doing real work there, though: this isn’t a green light to sell.

A legislative staff summary also lists making cannabis concentrate from home-grown cannabis as prohibited, so stick to the flower.

Can you give it away?

Yes, with no strings attached, but the amount is confusing right now. The law calls this “adult sharing”: a transfer between people 21 or older with nothing of value in return.

• The Code section in force today, § 4.1-1101.1, protects sharing up to 1 ounce, and it’s set to be repealed July 1, 2027.
• Its replacement, in § 4.1-1103, protects up to 2 ounces starting July 1, 2027.
• The CCA’s page already lists 2 ounces.

Until the two line up, 1 ounce is the safe choice. A “free” gift tied to a purchase, or to any trade, doesn’t count as sharing.

Where do you get seeds or clones?

This is the awkward part. Virginia’s definition of marijuana includes seeds, and the CCA says buying or selling adult-use cannabis isn’t legal yet. Licensed retail stores will be allowed to sell immature plants and seeds, but sales don’t start until July 1, 2027. Until then, there’s no licensed adult-use shop to buy from. Don’t order across state lines, and steer clear of pop-up shops, which the CCA says violate the law.

What if you go over the limit?

Under § 4.1-1101, penalties scale with your plant count:

• 5 to 10 plants: $250 civil penalty for a first offense, Class 3 misdemeanor for a second, Class 2 misdemeanor for a third or later offense.
• 11 to 49 plants: Class 1 misdemeanor.
• 50 to 100 plants: Class 6 felony.
• More than 100 plants: felony, with 1 to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.

And one plain reminder: home growing is still illegal under federal law, even where the state allows it. Recreational marijuana remains Schedule I, and the April 2026 move to Schedule III covers only state-licensed medical marijuana and FDA-approved products.

Virginia home grow FAQ

Can each adult in a Virginia home grow 4 plants?

No. Virginia’s limit is 4 plants per household, and a household means everyone living in the same home. Two adults, or five, share the same 4 plants.

Did Virginia’s 2026 cannabis law change the home-grow limit?

No. The 2026 law raised the public possession limit to 2 ounces and set retail sales to start July 1, 2027, but Virginia’s home-grow limit stays at 4 plants per household.

Do home-grown plants need a tag in Virginia?

Yes. Each plant in Virginia needs a legible tag with your name, your driver’s license or ID number, and a note that it’s grown for personal use. A violation can bring a civil penalty of up to $25.

Can my landlord ban growing cannabis in Virginia?

Yes. A 2026 state legislative briefing says Virginia landlords and property owners may prohibit marijuana use or cultivation in rental housing agreements, so check your lease before you plant.

For the bigger picture, see our Virginia marijuana law guide and marijuana cultivation for beginners.

Setting up a legal grow? See our guides to the best grow lights and grow tents.