Vanderburgh County, IN Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

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.