Iowa City, IA Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

E defines a short-term rental property as any individually or collectively owned single-family house or dwelling unit, any unit in a condominium, cooperative, or timeshare, or an owner-occupied residential home offered for a fee of 30 days or less, excluding units used for retail, restaurant, banquet, or event-center purposes. Letting a short-term rental without a valid rental permit issued by the Department of Housing and Inspection Services is a violation of the Code. A through D, except that no application or inspection fee is charged for a short-term rental permit.

1, every rental permit, short-term or not, must state the maximum occupancy allowed for the unit along with the property owner's or designated agent's phone number. a: every dwelling unit must contain at least 120 square feet of habitable floor space for the first occupant and at least 100 additional square feet for each occupant after that, with any part of a room under a five-foot ceiling excluded from the calculation. A separate sleeping-room standard in the same subsection requires at least 70 square feet for one occupant sleeping in a room and 40 additional square feet for each further occupant of that room. S, which can lead to a limitation on occupancy or suspension of the rental permit itself.