Short-Term Rentals in Durham County, NC (2026)

10 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Durham County, North Carolina.

Verified from official government sources

Note: These county rules apply to unincorporated areas of Durham County. If you live within an incorporated city, that city's own rules apply — see the city list below.

Permit Requirements

North Carolina bars Durham from requiring a permit or permission to rent out residential property, so there is no city or county short-term-rental license. The joint City-County Unified Development Ordinance instead regulates paid overnight lodging through its 'Bed and Breakfast' zoning use, which needs a minor special-use permit in residential

Durham Short-Term Rental Permit Rules (NC Law + Joint UDO)

Some Restrictions

NCGS 160D-1207(c)

adopt or enforce any ordinance that would require any owner or manager of rental property to obtain any permit or permission ... to lease or rent residential real property or to register rental property with the local government

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Noise Rules

Short-term-rental guests must obey the City of Durham noise ordinance (Code Chapter 26). Amplified sound may not exceed 50 dB(A) at night (11:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.) or 60 dB(A) during the day, measured at the property line. Unincorporated county homes are covered by nuisance rules. Hosts are responsible for

Durham Short-Term Rental Noise Rules (City Code Ch. 26)

Some Restrictions

Durham City Code Ch. 26 (Noise)

No nighttime (11:00 p.m.-8:00 a.m.) sound level shall exceed 50 dB(A), and no daytime or evening (after 8:00 a.m.-before 11:00 p.m.) sound level shall exceed 60 dB(A).

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Taxes & Fees

Durham County levies a 6% room occupancy tax on gross receipts from any room, lodging, or accommodation rented for fewer than 90 days, which covers short-term rentals. Hosts also collect state and local sales tax. Returns are due by the 20th of each month. Stays of 90-plus consecutive days to

Durham County Room Occupancy Tax on Short-Term Rentals

Some Restrictions

Durham County Room Occupancy Tax

6% on gross receipts derived from the rental of any room, lodging or accommodation furnished by a hotel, motel, inn or similar place ... Returns must be submitted on or before the twentieth (20th) day of each month

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Parking Rules

Durham has no short-term-rental-specific parking rule. Guests use the dwelling's existing driveway and off-street parking under the joint UDO's residential parking standards, and must obey the city's on-street parking restrictions. A home run as a bed-and-breakfast use must meet the off-street parking required for its UDO use classification.

Durham Short-Term Rental Parking Rules

Some Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Occupancy Limits

Durham sets no short-term-rental-specific headcount, but the UDO's overnight-lodging category caps guest capacity: a state-regulated bed and breakfast home in a Durham home is limited to no more than eight guest rooms. General residential occupancy and building-code standards otherwise govern how many people a dwelling can lawfully house.

Durham Short-Term Rental Occupancy Limits

Some Restrictions

NCGS 130A-247(1a)

Bed and breakfast home. - A business in a private home of not more than eight guest rooms that offers bed and breakfast accommodations for a period of less than one week ... Is the permanent residence of the owner or the manager of the business.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Insurance Requirements

Durham imposes no local short-term-rental insurance mandate. Neither the joint UDO nor Durham County requires hosts to carry a set liability policy. Coverage is governed by your insurer, mortgage, and any HOA rules. Most platforms offer host protection, but a standard homeowner policy often excludes commercial rental activity, so hosts

Durham STR Insurance Requirements

Some Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Night Caps

Durham sets no cap on how many nights per year a home may be rented short-term. North Carolina law (NCGS 160D-1207) bars local governments from requiring permits or registration to rent residential property, which limits Durham's ability to impose rental-night caps. Zoning use classification, not a night limit, is how

Durham STR Night Caps (No Annual Rental-Night Limit)

Some Restrictions

NCGS 160D-1207(c)

adopt or enforce any ordinance that would require any owner or manager of rental property to obtain any permit or permission ... to lease or rent residential real property or to register rental property with the local government

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Registration Rules

Durham has no short-term-rental registry. NCGS 160D-1207 forbids the city and county from making owners register rental property, except for chronic-violation properties. Hosts must, however, register as a business with Durham County Tax Administration to remit the room occupancy tax, and file a state Form NC-BR with the NC Department

Durham STR Registration Rules (No Local Registry)

Some Restrictions

NCGS 160D-1207(c)

adopt or enforce any ordinance that would require any owner or manager of rental property to obtain any permit or permission ... or to register rental property with the local government, except for those individual properties that have more than four verified violations in a rolling 12-month period

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Host Presence Rule

Durham has no rule forcing a host to be present during every stay, but its owner-occupied lodging use requires a resident. The UDO bed and breakfast, drawn from NCGS 130A-247, must be the permanent residence of the owner or manager. Unhosted whole-house rentals therefore fall outside that residential use category.

Durham STR Host-Presence Rules (Bed & Breakfast Use)

Some Restrictions

NCGS 130A-247(1a)c.

Is the permanent residence of the owner or the manager of the business.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Primary-Residence-Only Rule

Durham imposes no blanket primary-residence rule on short-term rentals, and NCGS 160D-1207 limits how it could. But the UDO's owner-occupied lodging category, bed and breakfast, requires the home to be the permanent residence of the owner or manager. A pure whole-house rental with no resident owner does not fit that

Durham STR Primary-Residence Rules

Some Restrictions

NCGS 130A-247(1a)

A business in a private home of not more than eight guest rooms that offers bed and breakfast accommodations for a period of less than one week ... Is the permanent residence of the owner or the manager of the business.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Short-Term Rentals by City in Durham County

1 cities in Durham County have their own short-term rentals rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.

DurhamPop. 283,000

8 verified rules • Insurance Requirements, Night Caps

All Durham County ordinances

See every category we cover for Durham County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.

Durham County Ordinance Hub →