Short-Term Rentals
Airbnb and VRBO permit requirements, noise rules, taxes, and parking rules.
No area of local law has moved faster in the past decade than short-term rentals. One city requires nothing but a tax registration; the next caps un-hosted nights per year; a third bans whole-home rentals outright and sends platforms delisting notices. A few state legislatures have pushed back in the other direction, forbidding their cities from banning rentals at all.
Wherever a regime exists, it tends to have the same three parts. The host needs a permit or registration. The operation must meet standards for occupancy, parking, noise, and a reachable local contact. And every stay owes the same lodging tax a hotel pays, with per-day fines for operating unregistered that add up quickly.
All 50 States: Short-Term Rentals at the State Level
Each tile shows the strongest state-level rule for that state. Click a state to see its full statewide rules and how local cities are constrained.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
What's Covered
Short-Term Rental Permits
Whether you need a license or permit to list your property on Airbnb, VRBO, or similar platforms, and what the application process looks like.
Noise Rules
Noise restrictions that apply specifically to short-term rental properties, including quiet hours and rules about parties and gatherings.
Taxes & Fees
Transient occupancy taxes, tourism fees, and other charges that hosts must collect from guests or pay to the city.
Short-Term Rental Parking Rules
Off-street parking requirements for rental guests, limits on the number of vehicles, and restrictions on street parking near rental properties.
Occupancy Limits
Maximum number of guests allowed per rental unit, often based on the number of bedrooms or square footage of the property.
Insurance Requirements
Liability insurance minimums and other coverage that hosts must carry when renting their property to short-term guests.
Night Caps
Limits on how many nights per year a property can be rented as a short-term rental, sometimes called annual caps or night limits.
Host Presence Rule
Whether your city allows only home-sharing (host on-site during the rental) versus whole-home unhosted rentals, and the enforcement process for violations.
Primary-Residence-Only Rule
Rules limiting short-term rentals to a host's primary residence, including documentation required to prove residency and rules against operating multiple listings.
Extended Home Share
Cities like Los Angeles offer an extended permit allowing year-round whole-home rentals beyond the standard cap, eligibility criteria, fees, and review process.
Repeat Violator Strikes
Three-strike or escalating-penalty systems for hosts with repeated noise, occupancy, or registration violations, including permit revocation thresholds.
Host Platform Liability
When platforms (Airbnb, VRBO) are liable for unpermitted listings, registration-number display rules and platform takedown obligations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about short-term rentals in the United States.