Short-term rental permit rules in Bowling Green, KY — also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration — list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Operating a short-term rental (Airbnb, VRBO, or any rental of a dwelling for fewer than 30 days) inside the City of Bowling Green requires both a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) and a Short Term Rental license issued by the City-County Planning Commission of Warren County before the property may be advertised or occupied by paid guests. Authority for the program is the Bowling Green Zoning Ordinance Article 5, Section 5.2.4(C)(4)(c) (Commercial Use Categories - Overnight Accommodations - Specific Use Standards for Short-Term Rentals). The CUP is reviewed by the Board of Zoning Adjustment after a public hearing with notice to surrounding property owners; the STR license is administered by the Planning Commission and must be displayed in any online listing. Short-term rentals are prohibited in single-family residential (RS) zones - only Bed & Breakfasts (owner-occupied) are permitted in those districts with a separate special permit.
Bowling Green regulates short-term rentals as a 'Commercial Use - Overnight Accommodation' under the Bowling Green Zoning Ordinance (ZO) adopted by the City-County Planning Commission of Warren County (the joint planning agency that administers zoning for both the City of Bowling Green and Warren County). Two separate approvals are required in sequence. First, a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) under ZO Article 5, Section 5.1 must be obtained from the Bowling Green Board of Zoning Adjustment; the CUP application is filed with the Planning Commission office, surrounding property owners receive mailed notice, and the BZA holds a public hearing to consider neighborhood impact, traffic, noise, and light. Second, a Short Term Rental license must be issued by the Planning Commission office before the use commences, and the license number must be displayed in any online listing (Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, direct site). The Specific Use Standards in ZO 5.2.4(C)(4)(c) constrain the rental itself: each room rented shall be designed and intended to accommodate no more than two persons; the use shall not adversely affect surrounding uses by excessive traffic generation, noise, or light; one off-street parking space is required per guest room (except in the CB Central Business zone); and commercial uses such as meetings, seminars, tea/garden parties, weddings, receptions, or concerts are prohibited at the STR unless those uses are independently permitted in the underlying zoning district. STRs are categorically prohibited in single-family residential (RS) zoning districts; the only short-term lodging use allowed in RS zones is an owner-occupied Bed & Breakfast operating under a separate special permit. STR uses are typically allowed in mixed-use, neighborhood commercial, and central business districts subject to the CUP. The Building Division (270-393-3676) handles change-of-use building permit and life-safety inspection coordination once the CUP and STR license are issued.
Operating a short-term rental in Bowling Green without an approved Conditional Use Permit and an issued Short Term Rental license is a zoning violation enforceable by the Bowling Green Code Enforcement & Nuisance Board under the city's regulatory code. Operating in an RS (single-family residential) zoning district is categorically prohibited regardless of CUP status. Failure to display the license number in online listings, exceeding the two-persons-per-room design standard, hosting prohibited commercial events (weddings, receptions, concerts) at the STR, or providing fewer than the required one-off-street-space-per-guest-room are CUP/license condition violations subject to citation, daily fines, and potential CUP/license revocation by the Board of Zoning Adjustment. The Planning Commission's compliance team monitors active listing platforms and cross-references displayed license numbers against issued licenses; unlicensed operations identified through that audit are referred to Code Enforcement. Repeated nuisance complaints (noise, traffic, light) tied to a licensed STR address can be raised at CUP review and used as grounds for revocation.
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