Short-Term Rentals in Howard County, MD (2026)

10 rules for unincorporated Howard County, Maryland.

Verified from official government sources

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

Permit Requirements

Howard County has no dedicated short-term-rental permit. Under the Zoning Regulations, renting sleeping accommodations to transient guests on a daily or weekly basis is a Hotel or Motel use, which is only allowed in commercial and mixed-use zoning districts — not by right in residential neighborhoods.

No STR Permit — Transient Rental Is a Hotel Use

Heavy Restrictions

Howard County Zoning Regulations Section 103.0 (Hotel or Motel)

Hotel or Motel: Any building or portion thereof or group of buildings containing guest rooms in which, for compensation, lodging is provided to transient guests on a daily, weekly, or similar short term basis.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Noise Rules

Howard County imposes no short-term-rental-specific noise standard. Guests and hosts are subject to the same rules as everyone else: the Howard County noise provisions and Maryland's statewide environmental-noise standards under COMAR 26.02.03, which set day and night decibel limits at the property line.

No STR Noise Rule — General Noise Code Applies

Some Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Taxes & Fees

Howard County levies a 7% room rental tax on charges to visitors who stay 30 or fewer consecutive days. The Rental Housing License fee is $93.50 per dwelling unit, biennial. Note the county room tax legally reaches 'hotels' with five or more rooms for rent.

7% Room Rental Tax + $93.50 Biennial License Fee

Heavy Restrictions

Howard County Code Sec. 20.401

There is a tax in Howard County on hotel room rental charges to visitors. The rate of the room rental tax shall be seven percent of the room rental charge.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Parking Rules

Howard County has no short-term-rental-specific parking requirement. Because there is no STR program, guest parking is governed by the general off-street parking standards in the Zoning Regulations for the underlying residential or lodging use, plus County Code limits on where vehicles may be stored or parked.

No STR Parking Rule — Zoning Off-Street Standards Apply

Some Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Occupancy Limits

Howard County sets no short-term-rental-specific overnight-guest cap, because it has no STR program. The one residential transient-lodging use it defines — a Bed and Breakfast Inn — is capped at six guest rooms and limited to historic buildings or farms under agricultural preservation easement.

No STR Guest Cap — B&B Inns Limited to Six Rooms

Some Restrictions

Howard County Zoning Regulations Section 103.0 (Bed and Breakfast Inn)

Bed and Breakfast Inn: A historic building, or a building on a farm with an agricultural land preservation easement, in which, for compensation, sleeping accommodations are provided to transient guests in not more than six guest rooms. A bed and breakfast inn may include the provision of meals for overnight guests only.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Insurance Requirements

Howard County sets no minimum liability-insurance requirement for short-term rentals, because it has no STR ordinance to impose one. Coverage is left to the host's own policy and any protection provided by the booking platform; a standard homeowner's policy usually excludes short-term-rental activity.

No County STR Insurance Mandate — Platform Coverage Only

Few Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Night Caps

Howard County imposes no annual limit on rental nights, because it operates no short-term-rental program that would set one. The constraint is not a night cap but the underlying zoning rule: transient rental of a residential dwelling is a Hotel/Motel use not permitted by right in residential districts.

No Annual Night Cap — But No Authorized STR Use

Heavy Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Registration Rules

Howard County has no separate short-term-rental registration. Any owner renting a dwelling unit within the scope of the Property Maintenance Code for Rental Housing must first obtain a Rental Housing License from the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits (DILP) under County Code Section 14.901.

No STR Registry — Rental Housing License Governs Rentals

Heavy Restrictions

Howard County Code Sec. 14.901(a)

Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, the owner of a dwelling unit in Howard County that is within the scope of the Howard County Property Maintenance Code for Rental Housing shall not rent or lease a dwelling unit unless the owner obtains a rental housing license under this subtitle.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Host Presence Rule

Howard County draws no 'hosted' versus 'unhosted' distinction, because it has no short-term-rental ordinance to define one. There is no requirement that an owner be present during a stay and no separate category for owner-occupied room rentals versus whole-house rentals.

No Hosted vs. Unhosted Rule in Howard County

Some Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Primary-Residence-Only Rule

Howard County has no 'primary residence only' STR rule, because it authorizes no STR use to condition on residency. The Zoning Regulations define a 'Dwelling' as living facilities for one family and expressly exclude accommodations used for transient occupancy.

No Primary-Residence Rule — Transient Use Excluded From Dwellings

Heavy Restrictions

Howard County Zoning Regulations Section 103.0 (Dwelling)

Dwelling: A building, or portion thereof, which provides living facilities for one family. As used herein, the term "dwelling," or any combination thereof, shall not be deemed to include a hotel, motel, clubhouse, hospital or other accommodations used for more or less transient occupancy.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

All Howard County ordinances

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