Auburn, AL Short-Term Rentals: Host Presence Rule (2026)

A homestay is Auburn's zoning term for an owner-occupied home-sharing business, and the code treats the owner's presence as central to how the use is regulated. 04(b) states plainly that the homestay may operate no more than ninety days per licensing year when the owner is not present, so any stretch of unhosted bookings beyond that annual total puts the operator outside the terms of the home occupation approval. 04(d), which requires the homestay owner to occupy the dwelling as a residence for more than 180 days during the same licensing year, which runs from January 1 through December 31.

Together the two rules mean a homestay cannot function as a de facto unhosted rental property; it must remain the owner's actual home for most of the year, with only a limited stretch of days permitted when the owner steps away. 04(e), independent of whether the 90-day limit itself has been exceeded. General zoning violations, including operating an unhosted homestay beyond the 90-day allowance, are punishable under Section 909 by a fine of up to $500, up to six months in jail, or both, with each day of continuing violation a separate offense.