Unincorporated Boone County sets no STR-specific occupancy cap. Practical limits derive from the Boone County Zoning Ordinance's family/household definition, on-site septic system sizing under MO 19 CSR 20-3.060, and bedroom egress under the adopted IRC. Columbia's 2024 STR ordinance imposes city-specific tiered caps.
Boone County has not enacted a short-term rental ordinance for unincorporated areas, so there is no county STR-specific guest cap such as '2 per bedroom + 2.' Occupancy is bounded by three sources. (1) The Boone County Zoning Ordinance (adopted under RSMo Ch. 64) defines 'family' for residential districts, traditionally limiting the number of unrelated persons in a single dwelling — the county is currently considering updates to this definition (Boone County Commission, March 2026). (2) On-site sewage systems for unsewered parcels are sized under Missouri DHSS rule 19 CSR 20-3.060 by bedroom count, which functionally caps overnight occupancy. (3) Bedrooms must satisfy IRC Section R310 emergency-egress and Section R304 minimum-area requirements as enforced by Boone County Resource Management. The county's Rental Housing Standards (adopted Feb. 8, 2024 under RSMo 64.207) cover habitability only, not occupancy. Inside Columbia, the 2024 STR ordinance defines three STR tiers with maximum-rental-night limits and treats stays over 30 consecutive days as long-term. Confirm specifics with Boone County Resource Management at (573) 886-4330.
Because no county STR ordinance exists, there are no county-issued STR occupancy citations in unincorporated areas. Septic overload is enforced by Boone County Resource Management/DHSS under 19 CSR 20-3.060. Zoning-district family or use violations are enforced by Boone County Resource Management code enforcement. Inside Columbia, STR-tier overcounts are city violations.
Boone County, MO
Boone County has no county-wide noise ordinance with set quiet hours in unincorporated areas. State law (RSMo 574.010) governs unreasonable noise that knowin...
Boone County, MO
The Boone County Zoning Ordinance (last revised Jan 21, 2025) does not set numeric fence height limits in unincorporated areas. Section 10.B(10) requires fen...
Boone County, MO
Boone County Animal Control Regulations (Chapter II) require dogs to be leashed or under immediate trained-command control in designated Urban Service Areas ...
Boone County, MO
Missouri permits broader consumer fireworks than most states. Under Mo. Rev. Stat. §320.106, the state fireworks season for retail sale runs June 20 through ...
Boone County, MO
Boone County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and administers floodplain rules under Section 22 of the Boone County Zoning Ordinan...
Boone County, MO
Missouri has no statewide residential pool law and relies on locally adopted IRC. Boone County has adopted the International Residential Code with local adde...
See how Boone County's occupancy limits rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.