Story County, IA Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

08(23) as permitted only through a home business permit that layers additional standards onto the general home business rules. Accommodations are capped at two families at any one time, the host or hostess must actually live in the home while it operates, and food service is limited to overnight guests, not walk-in customers from the general public. Every arriving guest has to register with the host, giving their name, address, and vehicle license plate number, and the operator must keep those records for three years and produce them for County officials on request.

Because it's licensed as a home business, a bed and breakfast also has to satisfy the general home business standards elsewhere in the Land Development Regulations, such as limits on the number of accessory buildings used for the business and the allowed floor area devoted to it, and the operator remains responsible for any other State or local permits and licenses tied to lodging, such as a food establishment permit from the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals. Because the definition ties the use to a home business permit rather than a use-by-right, the Planning and Development Department reviews and approves the permit before a bed and breakfast can open, and can act on noncompliance with the two-family cap or the registration requirement.