Louisville Metro Land Development Code Chapter 156 distinguishes hosted short-term rentals, where the operator lives onsite during guest stays, from unhosted whole-home rentals, applying different zoning permissions and standards to each category.
Under LDC Chapter 156, hosted STRs (host present during guest stays) are permitted in most residential form districts subject to registration and good-neighbor standards. Unhosted STRs face stricter limits, often requiring conditional use permits in residential zones outside of designated traditional or downtown form districts. The host-presence distinction recognizes that owner-occupied home shares produce fewer complaints than absentee whole-home conversions. Operators must declare their hosting model at registration and notify Metro Codes when status changes between hosted and unhosted.
Operating an unhosted STR while registered as hosted, or operating in a zone that prohibits unhosted STRs, can trigger civil fines and registration revocation under Metro Codes enforcement.
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See how Louisville's host presence rule rules stack up against other locations.
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