Boone County, KY Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit issuer
- Occupational License Office
- First-year fee
- $300, prorated by month
- Renewal fee
- $200 per year
- Permit term
- Calendar year, Jan 1-Dec 31
- First violation fine
- $200 per instance
- Repeat violation fine
- $500 within 365 days
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Boone County only
Summary
No one may advertise or rent a short-term rental in unincorporated Boone County without first registering and obtaining a permit from the Occupational License Office, which costs $300 the first year and $200 to renew each year after.
No person shall hereafter advertise, offer to rent or rent, lease, sublease, license, or sublicense a residential property within the unincorporated areas of Boone County as a short term rental until an application has been properly made and a permit obtained from the county. STR owners shall obtain and keep in force a Boone County short term rental permit ("permit") under the following terms and conditions: (A) Applications for the permit shall be submitted to the Boone County Occupational License Office.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-28: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ordinance 2025-20, passed 6-17-25; and State legislation current through KRS 2025).
Full Breakdown
03 requires any owner in unincorporated Boone County to obtain a Boone County short-term rental permit before advertising, offering to rent, renting, leasing, subleasing, licensing or sublicensing a residential property as a short-term rental (a stay under 30 days). Applications go to the Boone County Occupational License Office and are processed in the order received. If the property sits in a zoning district where short-term rental is only a conditional use, the applicant must also apply to the Boone County Board of Adjustment and Zoning Appeals for a conditional use permit; failing to secure that conditional use permit within 90 days of the registration application invalidates the whole application.
The application must include the owner's and local emergency contact's names and 24-hour contact information, proof of ownership, the maximum requested occupant count, a dimensioned floor plan, a completed self-safety inspection checklist, a site plan showing legal on-site parking, and proof of general liability insurance. A Boone County occupational license is required before the permit issues and again at every renewal. The permit runs on the calendar year (January 1 to December 31); the first-year fee is $300, prorated by month, and each renewal year costs $200, due by January 1.
The County Administrator may deny renewal for a code or law violation on the premises, grounds for suspension under the chapter, or a lapsed occupational license, and may revoke a permit outright for a violation, with the holder able to demand a hearing before the Fiscal Court within 15 days of the revocation notice.
Violations & Fines
Under § 114.08, a Boone County Code Enforcement Officer, Building Inspector or sworn law enforcement officer serves a notice of violation on the owner; if noncompliance continues seven days after notice, a citation issues and the Occupational License Office is notified, with each additional day a separate offense. Operating without the required permit is unlawful under § 114.05(H). Civil fines run $200 per instance, rising to $500 for each repeat violation within 365 days, secured by a lien on the property, appealable to Boone County District Court within 30 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Boone County short-term rental permit cost?
Do I need a permit before I list my property?
What happens if I operate without a permit?
Can the county deny my permit renewal?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boone County
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