Tuscaloosa, AL Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Occupancy ratio
- 2 adult occupants per qualifying parking space
- Qualifying parking
- Only spaces beyond the zoning-required minimum
- By-right day cap
- 45 days per calendar year
- Special-exception first year
- 30 days, then 45 days per year
- Governing authority
- Zoning board of adjustment can adjust the day cap
Summary
Tuscaloosa caps short-term rental occupancy at two adult guests per qualifying off-street parking space under the zoning ordinance's Sec. 25-101 use standards, on top of whatever the fire code separately allows, and by-right rentals outside historic districts are capped at 45 days of use per year.
iv.Short-term rental...(e)Parking and occupancy. The maximum occupancy of a short-term rental shall be calculated in accordance with the fire code, and shall not exceed two (2) adult occupants per off-street parking space that is provided for the use of a short-term rental unit tenant's vehicle. For purposes of this paragraph, the number of off-street parking spaces provided for the use of the short-term rental unit shall include only those parking spaces that exceed the number of parking spaces that are required to be provided in accordance with this zoning ordinance at the time the building that contains the short-term rental unit was constructed or substantially reconstructed.(f)Time limitations.(1)When the use of a dwelling as a short-term rental is permitted by right, the dwelling may be used as a short-term rental for no more than forty-five (45) days in a calendar year...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 102).
Full Breakdown
Sec. " Only spaces beyond whatever parking the zoning ordinance already required when the building was built or substantially reconstructed count toward that ratio, so a unit can't inflate its occupancy count using parking it was already obligated to provide. Sec. iv(f) layers time limits on top of the occupancy formula: a by-right short-term rental (available for multifamily units citywide, or any dwelling type inside the tourist overlay) is capped at 45 days of short-term use per calendar year, while a rental approved as a special exception is limited to 30 days in its first year and 45 days each year after, unless the zoning board of adjustment sets a different number under the special-exception decision criteria in Sec.
25-39(d). Sec. 7-199(b) of the business-license chapter separately makes it unlawful to advertise a short-term rental "outside of any approvals provided by the zoning board of adjustment related to the number of occupants or vehicles allowed on site," tying the occupancy math directly to the license's advertising rules.
Violations & Fines
Advertising or renting a short-term rental to more adult guests than the two-per-qualifying-parking-space ratio allows violates Sec. 25-101.c.4.iv(e), and Sec. 7-199(b) separately makes it unlawful to advertise a listing outside whatever occupant or vehicle numbers the zoning board of adjustment approved for that address. Exceeding the 45-day (or 30-day first-year) usage cap without a broader special-exception approval is a zoning violation under Sec. 25-101.c.4.iv(f).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many guests can stay in a Tuscaloosa short-term rental?
Can Tuscaloosa's zoning board give me a different occupancy limit?
How many days a year can I run a short-term rental by right?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tuscaloosa
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