Johnson County, IA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Parking Rules (2026)

25, the UDO's general parking chapter. 25(C)(1), sets the applicable ratios: a single-family dwelling, including one used as a short-term rental, needs one off-street space per dwelling unit, and an auxiliary dwelling unit used as a short-term rental needs one space per dwelling. The same subsection defines how spaces are counted where a property has mixed uses: the use generating the most required spaces controls as the primary use, and additional uses each contribute 50 percent of their own requirement on top of it, with the total always rounded up to the next whole space.

25(C)(2), sites in the RR, C, CH, AG-T, C-AG, ML, and MH districts that cannot fit the required spaces on-site may locate them on a separate parcel, but any off-site lot cannot sit more than 300 feet from the principal structure and must be shown on the site plan submitted with the permit application. The Zoning Administrator may also reduce a required parking count by up to 25 percent if the applicant submits a parking needs assessment from a licensed engineer showing fewer spaces will serve the use.

Parking and loading are prohibited in the right-of-way of any public road, so a short-term rental cannot rely on street parking to meet its off-street requirement.