Asheville, NC Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)

Homestays are approved as a "use by right, subject to special requirements" under Sec. 7-16-1(c)(9), which is administered through the permit procedure in Sec. 7-5-4. An application is filed with the development and permitting center by the owner or an authorized agent, accompanied by a permit fee set in the City of Asheville Fees and Charges Manual and a site plan meeting the checklist in Appendix B. The planning and development director has no discretion to waive the special requirements and must approve, deny, or request more information within ten working days; missing that deadline refunds the application fee.

Approved permits are valid for one year and can be extended once, for up to six months, on a showing of justification. Applicants must affirm under Sec. 7-16-1(c)(9)e that they actually live at the property and hold only one primary, full-time residence, backed by at least two proof-of-residency documents from the city's approved list; that step is waived only for a property owner acting as co-applicant with the resident operator. Only one homestay permit is issued per lot or parcel, and Sec. 7-16-1(c)(9)j caps issuance to one per person, immediate household, LLC, corporation, trust, or other legal entity, treating any ownership stake above five percent in an entity as ownership for this limit. Denials and other decisions of the planning and development director are appealable to the board of adjustment under the procedure in Sec. 7-6-2.