Neither Vanderburgh County nor the City of Evansville sets a numeric guest cap specific to short-term rentals. Indiana Code 36-1-24-8 makes owner-occupied STRs a permitted residential use, and any local cap on occupants must be reasonable. In practice, occupancy is constrained by the Evansville-Vanderburgh property maintenance code's general dwelling space-per-occupant standards and the building/fire code limits applicable to the specific structure.
Vanderburgh County and the City of Evansville have not adopted a dedicated short-term rental ordinance setting a specific maximum number of overnight guests (e.g., the 'two per bedroom plus two' formula common in other jurisdictions). Indiana Code 36-1-24-8 declares that an owner-occupied short term rental on residential property is a permitted residential use that may not be disallowed by local zoning, and IC 36-1-24-9 prohibits zoning enforcement from being used to unreasonably restrict non-owner-occupied STRs. Indiana Code 36-1-24-13 caps any local STR permit fee at $150 and limits operational regulation to what the chapter expressly allows. Practical occupancy ceilings instead come from generally applicable codes: the Evansville-Vanderburgh Area Building Commission enforces the property maintenance and building codes, which set minimum floor area per occupant and minimum sleeping-room dimensions consistent with the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) and Indiana Residential Code (675 IAC). Single-family dwellings are also subject to the general occupancy and habitability rules in Evansville Municipal Code Chapter 8.40 (residential rental registration) and Title 18 (Zoning), which defines a 'family' for residential use. Fire egress capacity, septic system sizing in unincorporated areas, and parking availability further constrain how many guests a host can lawfully accept. Hosts inside Evansville must complete the certificate-of-occupancy inspection process before renting. There is no countywide bedroom-tax or per-guest fee.
Exceeding the building/fire code occupancy of a structure can result in a notice of violation, stop-rental order, and citations from the Evansville-Vanderburgh Area Building Commission or Fire Marshal. Operating an unregistered residential rental in Evansville carries the $100/day civil penalty under Ch. 8.40.
Vanderburgh County, IN
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See how Vanderburgh County's occupancy limits rules stack up against other locations.
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