9 verified short-term rentals rules for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Philadelphia requires a zoning permit for any short-term rental plus, where a primary resident lives in the unit, a Limited Lodging Operator License from Licenses and Inspections (L&I). A non-resident (no primary resident) rental instead needs a Visitor Accommodations zoning permit and a Hotel-designated Rental License.
City of Philadelphia Dept. of Licenses & Inspections, FAQ PZ_003 (Rev. 9/2025), Zoning Permit & License Requirements; Phila. Code 14-604(13)
A unit cannot be offered as a short-term rental (less than 30 days) without obtaining the necessary permits and licenses. ... A zoning permit is required to offer a unit for rent as a short-term rental for any amount of time. ... If a zoning permit for Limited Lodging is required ..., the person offering the unit for rent must also obtain a Limited Lodging Operator License. A limited lodging op...
Philadelphia STR guests are subject to the same noise rules as all residents under Phila. Code Title 10, Chapter 10-400 (Noise and Excessive Vibration). Quiet hours are 10 PM to 7 AM in residential districts. Limited Lodging hosts under §14-604(13) are also required to ensure their STR use does not 'alter the residential character' of the building, and Bill 220754 makes the host responsible for guest violations. Repeat noise complaints can trigger license review by L&I.
Philadelphia STR operators must collect and remit the 8.5% city Hotel Tax (Phila. Code Chapter 19-2400) plus the 6% Pennsylvania state hotel occupancy tax on every stay under 30 days. A Limited Lodging Operator License is $150/year; non-primary 'Visitor Accommodation' Rental Licenses are $63/unit/year. Operators also owe Business Income & Receipts Tax (BIRT) and, for residents, Net Profits Tax. Hotel Tax returns are filed monthly via the Philadelphia Tax Center.
City of Philadelphia, Department of Revenue – Hotel Tax
The City's Hotel Tax rate is 8.5% of the total amount paid by the guest. The hotel operator is responsible for collecting the tax from guests. In addition to the City's Hotel Tax, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania imposes its own 7% Hotel Tax on the amount paid by the guest. The total in-state rate is 15.5%. You can be excused from paying Hotel Tax if you have received rent from: Someone who has...
Philadelphia does not require off-street parking for limited lodging or visitor accommodations under §14-604(13), and STR guests cannot obtain Residential Permit Parking (RPP) zone permits — those are reserved for residents under Phila. Code §12-2806. Guests must use legal on-street parking, paid Philadelphia Parking Authority meters, or commercial garages. Hosts in RPP districts must clearly disclose that guests cannot use resident-only parking, or risk PPA citations.
Philadelphia caps limited lodging at no more than three unrelated persons (including owner and lodgers), limits any single visitor stay to 30 consecutive days, and caps a Limited Lodging Home at 180 hosted days per year. Building permits and a Certificate of Occupancy are triggered above five rooms or ten occupants.
The Philadelphia Code 14-604(13)(c)(.1)-(.2) (Limited Lodging - Standards), as enacted by Bill No. 150441-A
A dwelling unit may be used for limited lodging subject to compliance with all of the following minimum requirements: (.1) The dwelling unit shall remain as a household living unit with housekeeping facilities in common, but not to allow for occupancy by more than three persons (including the owner and lodgers) who are unrelated by blood, marriage, adoption, or foster-child status, or are not L...
Philadelphia does not mandate specific insurance coverage for short-term rental hosts through a local ordinance. Hosts are subject to the general rental license requirements of Phila. Code §9-3902 and standard landlord liability principles. Platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo provide their own host protection insurance programs.
Philadelphia Code section 14-604(13) and Title 9-3902 distinguish a Limited Lodging operator, who must use the home as a primary residence and be present or rent fewer than 90 nights per year, from a Visitor Accommodation, which needs a hotel zoning use and rental license.
Philadelphia's Limited Lodging category under section 14-604(13) is reserved for operators whose dwelling unit is their primary residence. Investor-only short-term rentals fall into the Visitor Accommodation hotel category, which is allowed only in specific commercial zoning districts.
Philadelphia Code section 9-3905 lets Licenses and Inspections suspend or revoke a Limited Lodging or Hotel rental license after repeat violations of zoning, noise, occupancy, fire, or tax rules. Three violations within 12 months typically trigger administrative revocation hearings.
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Philadelphia city rules.
Short-Term Rentals in Philadelphia County →