Lawrence, KS Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

Section 6-1365 does not set its own numeric occupancy caps; it borrows them from § 20-601(d) of the city's land development code (chapter 20), so the applicable maximum depends on the zoning district where the short-term rental sits. What § 6-1365 does add is the rule that minor children of the household are excluded from the headcount used against that district limit, and a flat prohibition on any person permitting or causing a licensed short-term rental unit to exceed the applicable limit. Because occupancy compliance is folded into the article's ordinary enforcement scheme, a code official who finds an overcrowded unit issues a written notice of violation under § 6-1366, which must state the condition, whether the official is seeking remediation, probation, or revocation, and the 14-day window to appeal under § 6-1367.

The code official or, on appeal, the building code board of appeals may place the license on probation under § 6-1368 to give the owner time to correct the overcrowding, or move straight to revocation under § 6-1369 if the violation is severe or the owner has a history of past revocations. The same occupancy rule and cross-reference to § 20-601(d) appears on the long-term side of Lawrence's rental code at § 6-1315, so a property does not gain more headroom simply by switching from a long-term lease to short-term guest stays.