10 verified short-term rentals rules for Lima, Ohio, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
The City of Lima, Ohio has no dedicated short-term rental (Airbnb/Vrbo) permit ordinance. Lima does not issue an STR-specific license. Instead, non-owner-occupied rentals must obtain a free Rental Housing Unit Registration (Codified Ordinances Ch. 872), and hosts serving transient guests fall under Ohio's lodging-tax and hotel definitions.
Lima has no short-term-rental-specific quiet-hours rule. STR guests must follow the City's general noise/nuisance provisions in Part Five (General Offenses) of the Codified Ordinances, which prohibit loud, disturbing noise, the same standard that applies to any household in the city.
Short-term stays in Lima are taxed as lodging. The City levies a Hotel-Motel Tax under Codified Ordinances Chapter 890 (authorized by Ohio R.C. 5739.02(C)), and Allen County levies a lodging excise tax of about 4.75%. An STR that meets Ohio's 'hotel' definition or serves transient guests (stays under 30 days)
Ohio Revised Code 5739.09(A)(1)
A board of county commissioners may, by resolution adopted by a majority of the members of the board, levy an excise tax not to exceed three per cent on transactions by which lodging by a hotel is or is to be furnished to transient guests.
Lima has no short-term-rental-specific parking requirement. STR guest parking is governed by the City's general off-street parking and zoning standards in the Planning and Zoning Code (Part Twelve) and by the traffic-code on-street parking rules (Part Three), the same standards that apply to any residence.
Lima has no short-term-rental-specific occupancy cap (for example, no 'two guests per bedroom' STR rule). Occupancy is instead limited by the City's general property-maintenance and housing code and by Ohio building-code habitable-space standards, which cap how many people a dwelling's floor area and bedrooms can lawfully house.
Lima's code does NOT require a short-term rental host to carry liability insurance or name the City as additional insured, because Lima has no STR ordinance. Any coverage is at the host's discretion or through the booking platform's host-protection policy. General building and property-maintenance safety standards still apply.
Lima sets NO annual night cap or maximum number of rental days for short-term rentals. Because the City has no STR ordinance, a registered rental may operate year-round. The only durational line comes from Ohio's lodging-tax definition of a transient guest as a stay under thirty consecutive days.
Ohio Revised Code 5739.01(N)
"Transient guests" means persons occupying a room or rooms for sleeping accommodations for less than thirty consecutive days.
Lima requires every owner of a non-owner-occupied housing unit inside the city to obtain and maintain a Rental Housing Unit Registration Certificate under Codified Ordinances Chapter 872, whether or not the unit is currently rented. Registration is free and was phased in during 2024-2025. This is the closest thing to
City of Lima Rental Housing Unit Registration (Codified Ordinances Ch. 872)
There shall be no fee charged to the property owner for the registration.
Lima does not require a host to be present during a short-term stay or to designate a 24/7 local contact. Because the City has no STR ordinance, unhosted whole-home rentals are allowed. The owner does remain responsible for the unit under the Rental Housing Registration (Chapter 872) and the City's
Lima does NOT require a short-term rental to be the host's primary residence. Because the City has no STR ordinance, whole-home and non-owner-occupied short-term rentals are allowed, subject only to the general zoning rules for the district and the free Rental Housing Unit Registration for non-owner-occupied units (Chapter 872).
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Lima city rules.
Short-Term Rentals in Allen County →