Cleveland, OH Short-Term Rentals: Insurance Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum coverage
- $500,000 liability insurance
- Alternative
- Named insured under booking agent's policy
- Update deadline
- 7 days of any change
- Reviewing office
- Commissioner of Assessments & Licenses
Summary
Cleveland won't issue a short-term rental license unless the applicant proves at least $500,000 in liability insurance covering the rental, either through the host's own policy or as a named insured under a booking agent's coverage. The proof goes in with the rest of the § 686B.03 license application.
(7) proof of liability insurance for the short-term rental, or proof that the short-term rental and the short-term owner or operator are named insured under a booking agent's liability of insurance, with limits not less than five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000.00);
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-28: Current through legislation passed September 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
03(b)(7) of the Codified Ordinances makes liability insurance a mandatory piece of every short-term rental license application in Cleveland. An applicant must submit proof of liability insurance for the short-term rental itself, or, alternatively, proof that the short-term rental and the owner or operator are named insureds under a booking agent's liability policy, meaning a host listing through a platform that carries its own host-protection coverage can satisfy the rule that way instead of buying a separate policy. Either route, the coverage limit can't be less than $500,000.
04. 03(c), so a lapse or downgrade in coverage has to be reported to the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses on that same short clock. 04.
Violations & Fines
Applying with missing or inadequate insurance proof is grounds to deny the license outright under § 686B.04(b), and operating a short-term rental without the license that insurance proof unlocks is a first-degree misdemeanor under § 686B.99(a), up to $1,000 and six months in jail, plus a separate $5,000 civil fine under § 686B.991(a).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much liability insurance does a Cleveland short-term rental need?
Can I use a booking platform's host guarantee instead of buying my own policy?
What if my insurance lapses after I get a Cleveland STR license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cleveland
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Insurance Requirements in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Cuyahoga County handle insurance requirements.