Kootenai County, ID Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Parking Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Max guest rooms
- 5 rooms
- Parking rule
- 1 off-street space per guestroom
- Resident vehicles
- Separate off-street spaces required too
- Event cap
- 25 persons on premises
- Other commercial use
- Not permitted alongside the B&B
Summary
Kootenai County treats short-term paying-guest lodging as a bed and breakfast inn under LUDC 8.4.502, capped at five guest rooms, and requires one off-street parking space for every guestroom plus enough space for all vehicles owned by the permanent residents living there. Weddings are allowed but capped at 25 people on the premises at once.
BED AND BREAKFAST INNS: Bed and breakfast inns shall be subject to the following standards: A. Maximum of five (5) rooms for lodging of paying guests. B. Must provide off street automobile parking space for each guestroom, as well as all vehicles owned by permanent residents. C. Wedding ceremonies and receptions are allowed, provided that a total of no more than twenty five (25) persons will be on the premises at any given time. D. No commercial uses are permitted except as provided in this section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-10: Code current through: Ord. 633, passed December 23, 2025).
Full Breakdown
5 (Home Based Activities). The parking obligation stacks: a homeowner running a five-room B&B needs at minimum five off-street guest parking spaces plus separate spaces for every vehicle the permanent residents own, and none of that can be satisfied with on-street parking. The section also caps commercial activity tightly: no commercial uses beyond the lodging itself are permitted, so an operator can't add a public gift shop or restaurant to soak up the parking demand differently. Wedding ceremonies and receptions are allowed on site, but attendance is capped at twenty five persons on the premises at any one time, which functions as a hard ceiling on event-related parking and traffic beyond the guestroom-based spaces already required.
103, meaning the county can require a combined site plan covering landscaping, parking, and lighting together, or split them out if the layout becomes too complex to review for compliance.
Violations & Fines
Operating without adequate off-street parking, exceeding the five-guestroom cap, or exceeding the 25-person event cap is a Title 8 violation under LUDC 8.8.602 and 8.8.603: a misdemeanor under section 1-4-1, plus a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per incident per day capped at $20,000 per incident. The Director can withhold or condition permits until the parking or occupancy is brought back into compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many parking spaces does a Kootenai County bed and breakfast need?
Is there a separate short-term rental ordinance in unincorporated Kootenai County?
Can I host a wedding at my Kootenai County bed and breakfast?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kootenai County
Compare Kootenai County to another location·View the Idaho short-term rentals overview
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