Stafford, VA Sales Tax Rate: 5.3%, Meals, and Grocery

The sales tax rate in Stafford, VA is 5.3% on most retail purchases, combining Virginia’s 4.3% state sales tax with a 1.0% local option tax that goes back to the county.¹ That’s lower than the 6.0% charged in Fairfax, Arlington, and Prince William, because Stafford sits outside the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and doesn’t collect the extra 0.7% regional transit tax. Groceries, restaurant meals, cars, and hotel rooms all follow different rules, so what you pay at the register depends on what you’re buying.

Why Stafford Isn’t 6% Like Fairfax

Virginia’s statewide sales tax is 4.3% on tangible personal property.² Stafford County adds the standard 1.0% local tax, which is distributed back based on where the sale happens. Counties in the NVTA region add another 0.7% on top of that, pushing their total to 6.0%. Stafford is not an NVTA member, so if you drive north to shop in Fairfax or Prince William, expect to pay the higher rate on those purchases.

Groceries Are Taxed at 1%

Food purchased for home consumption is taxed at just 1% in Stafford County.³ Virginia dropped its 4.3% share on groceries and essential personal hygiene products on January 1, 2023, leaving only the local 1% in place. The reduced rate covers produce, meat, dairy, bread, canned goods, and essentials like diapers.

What doesn’t qualify: prepared hot foods, alcohol, tobacco, and dietary supplements. The dividing line is whether the food still needs preparation at home. A rotisserie chicken from the deli counter is taxed at the full 5.3% because it’s ready to eat.

Restaurant Meals Carry an Extra 6%

Eating out in Stafford County means paying a 6% county meals tax on top of the 5.3% sales tax, for a combined 11.3% on prepared food and beverages.⁴ It applies whether you dine in, take out, or order delivery, and it hits the maximum rate Virginia law lets counties charge.⁵ A $50 tab turns into $55.65 before tip: $2.65 in sales tax and $3.00 in meals tax.

Vehicles Are 4.15%, Collected by the DMV

Cars don’t follow the 5.3% rate. Virginia imposes a separate 4.15% motor vehicle sales and use tax, with a $75 minimum, collected by the DMV when you title the vehicle rather than by the dealer at checkout.⁶

The tax is calculated on the gross sales price after manufacturer rebates but before any trade-in credit. If you buy a $30,000 truck and trade in a $10,000 car, the 4.15% applies to the full $30,000, not the $20,000 difference. Dealer processing fees are also part of the taxable price.

Hotels and Short-Term Rentals

Lodging in Stafford County carries an 11% transient occupancy tax on the room charge for stays of fewer than 30 consecutive days.⁴ The 5.3% sales tax also applies, because Virginia’s sales tax statute covers accommodations furnished to transients.² Airbnb and Vrbo hosts should check whether their platform has a voluntary collection agreement with the county; if not, the host collects and remits the tax directly.

What’s Exempt From Sales Tax

Virginia fully exempts prescription drugs, nonprescription medicines, and medical devices from all state and local sales tax.⁷ The exemption covers:

Prescription medicines, drugs, and hypodermic syringes dispensed on a licensed provider’s prescription
Over-the-counter nonprescription drugs and proprietary medicines, regardless of who buys them
Prescription eyeglasses, contact lenses, artificial eyes, and hearing aids
Durable medical equipment prescribed for medical use

Your pharmacy receipt should show zero tax on these items.

Online and Out-of-State Purchases

When you buy something online or out of state and no Virginia sales tax is collected, you still owe 5.3% as consumer use tax, reported on your individual income tax return.⁸ Most large online retailers now collect automatically, since out-of-state sellers with more than $100,000 in Virginia sales or 200 or more transactions must register and collect.¹ Use tax mainly comes up now with small online sellers, out-of-state craft fairs, or items bought while traveling. If you don’t owe income tax but do owe use tax, you can file it separately on Form CU-7.

The August Sales Tax Holiday

Virginia holds a three-day sales tax holiday each year starting the first Friday in August, with qualifying items fully exempt from state and local sales tax.⁹ Price caps apply per item:

School supplies at $20 or less per item
Clothing and footwear at $100 or less per item
Portable generators at $1,000 or less per item
Gas-powered chainsaws at $350 or less per item
Other hurricane preparedness items at $60 or less per item
Energy Star and WaterSense products at $2,500 or less per item for noncommercial home use

The 2025 holiday ran August 1–3. The 2026 dates have not been officially announced, but under the standing rule the holiday would fall August 7–9, 2026. The caps are per item, not per transaction, and there’s no partial break: a $105 pair of shoes is taxed at the full 5.3%.⁹

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Virginia Tax. Retail Sales and Use Tax
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Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 58.1-603 – Imposition of Sales Tax
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Virginia Tax. Grocery Tax
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Stafford County, VA. Stafford County Passes New Meals and Transient Occupancy Tax
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Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 58.1-3833 – County Food and Beverage Tax
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Motor Vehicle Sales and Use Tax
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Virginia Code Commission. 23VAC10-210-940 – Medicines, Drugs, Eyeglasses, and Related Items
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Virginia Tax. Consumer’s Use Tax
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Virginia Tax. Virginia Sales Tax Holiday