Yellowstone County, MT Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Parking Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Parking order
- Private driveway first, then street overflow
- Prohibited areas
- Setbacks and yards (§27-1005.O.4(d)(2))
- Street parking
- Only where otherwise permitted
- Related duty
- Weekly trash collection required (§27-1005.O.4(d)(4))
- Program purpose
- Preserve neighborhood character (§27-1005.O.1)
- Enforcement
- County zoning coordinator, § 27-1704
Summary
Guests at a permitted short-term rental in unincorporated Yellowstone County must park in the property's private driveway first, with any overflow allowed only on the street where street parking is otherwise permitted. Parking anywhere else on the lot, including in a required yard or setback, is prohibited under the county's short-term rental standards.
(2) Guests shall be instructed to park in private driveways first, with overflow parking on the street where permitted. Parking on-site in non-driveway areas (e.g., setbacks or yards) shall be prohibited.
Full Breakdown
Yellowstone County's short-term rental parking rule sits in § 27-1005.O.4(d)(2), inside the program's Health, Safety, and Code Compliance requirements. It requires that guests be instructed to use the property's private driveway first, and allows overflow parking on the street only where on-street parking is otherwise permitted there. The same sentence bars parking anywhere else on the property, specifically calling out setbacks and yards as off-limits, which keeps vehicles out of the buffer areas the underlying zone district otherwise protects. The rule sits alongside the program's other Health, Safety, and Code Compliance duties: the unit must contain smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, and CO2 detectors and stay compliant with all zoning and other applicable county and state codes (§ 27-1005.O.4(d)(1)); no meals may be prepared for or served to guests by the owner or the owner's agents, since doing so risks turning the use into an unpermitted boardinghouse or bed and breakfast (§ 27-1005.O.4(d)(3)); and the owner must keep weekly residential trash collection active and keep containers from sitting out more than 24 hours after pickup (§ 27-1005.O.4(d)(4)).
Because the short-term rental permit program's stated purpose is to let visitors stay in the county "in a manner that retains the character of the neighborhoods and locations in which they are located" (§ 27-1005.O.1), the parking limits function as a direct check against guest vehicles spilling into yards, setbacks, and unauthorized street parking in residential neighborhoods.
Violations & Fines
Letting guests park in a required yard or setback, or on the street where street parking isn't allowed, violates § 27-1005.O.4(d)(2) and the broader short-term rental permit conditions. Because operating outside the terms of the permit breaches the Zoning Code, the county can apply the general penalties in § 27-1704.G, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to the state statutory limit or up to six months in jail, plus permit revocation or a stop-use order under § 27-1704.C and .E.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are short-term rental guests supposed to park in Yellowstone County?
Can a short-term rental guest park in the front yard if the driveway is full?
Is the parking rule enforced separately from the rest of the short-term rental permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yellowstone County
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