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Greenwood, IN Short-Term Rentals: Host Presence Rule (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Requirement
proprietor's primary residence on site
Zones covered
RL, RM, RA
Paired rule
6-guest cap for adults
Enforcement
warning ticket, then $50-$100 fines

Summary

Sec. 10-03-16(G)(1) of Greenwood's Unified Development Ordinance requires the proprietor of a short-term rental in the RL, RM, and RA zones to also maintain a primary residence on the same property, tying the STR use to an owner-occupied home rather than an investment-only rental.

G. Short-Term Rental Residences. ... 1. Within the RL, RM, and RA zones the proprietor of the short-term rental property must also have a primary residence on site;

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Full Breakdown

Greenwood's Unified Development Ordinance treats Short-Term Rental Residences as a specific use under Sec. 10-03-16(G), adopted by Ord. 20-29, Sec. 2 (9-21-2020) and amended by Ord. 21-44, Sec. 1 (10-4-2021). Subsection (G)(1) requires that within the RL, RM, and RA residential zones, the proprietor of the short-term rental property must also have a primary residence on site, meaning the operator cannot run the property as a stand-alone investment rental without living there. The same subsection pairs this residency requirement with a six-adult guest cap (G)(2), a mandate for operational fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and carbon monoxide detectors (G)(3), and a 40-day maximum guest stay (G)(4). Community Development Services administers zoning compliance for these uses, and a short-term rental operating without a resident proprietor on site is handled through the same civil zoning violation process that governs the rest of the Unified Development Ordinance, starting with a warning ticket under Sec. 10-04-09.

Violations & Fines

A short-term rental found without the required on-site proprietor first receives a warning ticket under Sec. 10-04-09(B)(2). If the condition isn't corrected, the Planning Director can issue a $50 civil zoning citation, $75 for a second citation, and $100 for each one after that, with every additional day the violation continues counted separately. The owner has 10 working days to file a variance petition or appeal to the Board of Zoning Appeals to stay the fine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I operate a short-term rental in Greenwood without living there?
Not in the RL, RM, or RA zones. Sec. 10-03-16(G)(1) requires the proprietor to maintain a primary residence on the same property as the short-term rental.
What counts as the proprietor's primary residence?
The ordinance ties the short-term rental use to the operator's own home on site; it does not define a separate registration process, so the residency itself is the qualifying condition under Sec. 10-03-16(G)(1).
What happens if a Greenwood STR host doesn't live on site?
Community Development Services issues a warning ticket first, then a $50 civil zoning citation escalating to $75 and $100 for repeat citations, under the enforcement procedure in Sec. 10-04-09.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Greenwood

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All Greenwood rules

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