Yellowstone County has no host-presence requirement for short-term rentals. The City of Billings does not require the owner on-site but does require a designated local contact person — not a corporation — who can respond to complaints or issues at the property.
Unincorporated Yellowstone County sets no rule requiring an owner or manager to be present during an STR stay. The City of Billings likewise does not mandate on-site host presence, but it requires each STR permit to name a local contact person who can respond to complaints or issues involving the property. Critically, that local contact cannot be a corporation — it must be an actual person reachable to handle problems. This substitutes for a host-presence rule by ensuring someone accountable is available. For a Billings tourist home (whole-home rental), the owner may be off-site as long as the responsive local contact is designated. Rural county rentals have no such requirement because no STR ordinance applies.
In Billings, failing to maintain a valid responsive local contact can result in permit revocation and code-enforcement penalties. No county penalty applies in unincorporated areas.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Yellowstone County, MT
Yellowstone County has no ordinance banning backyard composting. Residents may compost yard and food waste; keep piles from becoming a rodent, odor, or vecto...
Yellowstone County, MT
Yellowstone County has no ordinance banning or requiring a permit for artificial turf on residential lawns. Homeowners may install synthetic grass; HOA coven...
Yellowstone County, MT
Yellowstone County does not require or prohibit native-plant landscaping. Residents may plant Montana natives and drought-tolerant xeriscape freely, provided...
Yellowstone County, MT
Rainwater harvesting is legal in Montana and encouraged. Yellowstone County has no ordinance restricting rain barrels. Rooftop collection for outdoor landsca...
Yellowstone County, MT
Unincorporated Yellowstone County imposes no standing lawn-watering rule. The City of Billings enacts temporary Stage 1 restrictions during peak demand, typi...
Yellowstone County, MT
Montana law makes noxious-weed control MANDATORY for every landowner. State statute makes it unlawful to let a noxious weed go to seed on your land, and the ...
See how Yellowstone County's host presence rule rules stack up against other locations.
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