Bowling Green, KY Short-Term Rentals: Parking Rules (2026)

Bowling Green's STR-specific parking standard is codified in Zoning Ordinance Article 5, Section 5.2.4(C)(4)(c) (Commercial Use Categories - Overnight Accommodations - Specific Use Standards for Short-Term Rentals). The standard requires one off-street parking space for each guest room available for rent at the STR; this is a per-bedroom (per-rentable-room) ratio rather than a flat per-property minimum, and it stacks on top of the underlying dwelling's off-street parking requirement. A three-bedroom STR therefore requires three off-street guest spaces in addition to the residential off-street parking standard for the dwelling. The exception is the CB (Central Business) zoning district, where the per-guest-room requirement does not apply (reflecting the central business district's reliance on shared and structured parking inventory). Off-street parking areas serving the STR must satisfy the landscaping requirements in ZO Section 4.6.8.D, including any required screening, perimeter landscaping, and interior planting, unless the operator is utilizing an existing residential driveway for the parking. Operators may not satisfy the requirement by reserving on-street spaces or by directing guests to neighboring residential driveways. The City of Bowling Green's Short Term Rental Guide directs operators to 'advise renters to use off-street parking before taking on-street parking spots,' reinforcing that on-street parking is a fallback rather than a substitute. Guest vehicles are subject to citywide on-street parking, time-limit, and overnight parking rules in the Bowling Green Code of Ordinances, including prohibitions on parking within set distances of fire hydrants, intersections, crosswalks, and driveways. Patterns of guest-parking complaints tied to a licensed STR can be referred to the Code Enforcement & Nuisance Board and raised at CUP review as evidence of nuisance under the 'excessive traffic generation' standard in ZO 5.2.4(C)(4)(c).