Louisville, KY Short-Term Rentals: Host Platform Liability (2026)
Key Facts
- Listing removal deadline
- 10 business days after Director notice
- First offense
- warning notice only
- Repeat offense penalty
- $125 civil fine per day
- Platform records
- subpoenable by Code Enforcement Board
- Enforcing agency
- Develop Louisville / Code Enforcement Board
Summary
Louisville Metro can order Hosting Platforms to pull short-term rental listings with invalid or revoked registration numbers within ten business days, and can subpoena platform records for enforcement.
The Director may request that a Hosting Platform remove any listing or Short Term Rental Advertisement from the platform where the registration number associated with a short term rental listing is invalid, expired, or has been revoked. The Director must identify the listing(s) to be removed by the listing URL and displayed registration number (whether valid or invalid) and state the reason for removal. The Hosting Platform shall remove the listing within ten business days of notification by the Director.
(C) The Director may request that a Hosting Platform provide the following information to the Louisville Metro Department of Develop Louisville on a monthly basis:
(1) The total number of short term rentals in Louisville Metro that were listed on the platform during the applicable reporting period; and
(2) The total number of nights all short term rental units were rented through the platform during the applicable reporting period. These reports shall be due at the end of each month to include information from the preceding month.
(D) Pursuant to KRS 65.8821, the Code Enforcement Board shall have the authority to subpoena information from any Hosting Platform. Any such subpoena shall:
(1) Be submitted in writing by the Code Enforcement Board attesting that Louisville Metro Government has a reasonable belief based on evidence that a short term rental may be in violation of §§
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-47: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ordinances passed by the Council and approved by the Mayor as of July 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Under LMCO § 115.521, the Director of Develop Louisville can require a Hosting Platform such as Airbnb or Vrbo to remove a short-term rental listing whenever its registration number is invalid, expired, or revoked -- the Director must specify the listing URL and the reason, and the platform then has ten business days to comply. Platforms must also report monthly listing and booking-night counts to Develop Louisville on request, and under KRS 65.8821 the Code Enforcement Board can subpoena a platform's records for a specific investigation, served on its registered agent, with records due within 21 days.
Violations & Fines
First violation of § 115.521 draws a warning notice only. A second or later violation carries a $125 civil penalty per additional day, imposed by an Enforcement Officer and appealable to the Code Enforcement Board.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Louisville Metro force Airbnb to take down a listing?
What happens if a hosting platform ignores the removal request?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Louisville
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