Camden County, MO Short-Term Rentals: Permit Requirements (2026)

Camden County's STR framework operates on three distinct layers: (1) county zoning under the Unified Land-Use Code (ULUC), (2) Missouri state sales/use tax under Chapter 144 RSMo, and (3) any incorporated-city zoning, business license, and lodging tax inside the county.

(1) COUNTY ZONING - UNIFIED LAND-USE CODE (ULUC). Camden County adopted its Unified Land-Use Code effective June 1, 2004; the most recent comprehensive update is the January 1, 2022 edition published at camdencountymo.gov. The ULUC governs unincorporated Camden County only. The Planning and Zoning Department is at 182 Ha Ha Tonka Cut Thru, Camdenton, MO 65020 (mailing: 1 Court Circle NW, Suite 15, Camdenton, MO 65020); phone 573-346-4440 ext. 1350 or 573-317-3860; pz@camdencountymo.gov. The Planning and Zoning Commission meets the third Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m., and the Board of Adjustment meets the fourth Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Camden County does NOT operate a stand-alone STR licensing or registration program; STRs are not separately permitted at the county level so long as the use remains within the ULUC's allowed residential occupancy.

The 2022 ZONING DISPUTE. In early 2022, Camden County Circuit Judge Matt Hamner ruled in a private dispute between R-1 neighbors that nightly rentals of an R-1 (Single-Family Residential) home violated the ULUC's then-existing definition of residential use. Although the ruling was a non-binding circuit-court decision, the Camden County Commission held an emergency meeting on March 25, 2022 (Presiding Commissioner Greg Hasty) and directed County Counsel Greg Williams to draft amendments to the ULUC adding (a) an explicit definition of "short-term rental" as a rental for less than 30 days, and (b) language permitting STRs in R-1 and other residential zones provided the residential character of the property is preserved. The Commission also signaled that homeowner association covenants and restrictions, where they exist, may independently restrict STRs and would not be overridden by the county code. As of late 2025 the operational result is that STRs in unincorporated Camden County do NOT need a county-issued STR permit or registration so long as they comply with the ULUC's general residential standards (lot coverage, parking, septic capacity, signage, and any subdivision-specific restrictions).

(2) MISSOURI STATE SALES TAX (RSMo Chapter 144). Missouri does not have a uniform statewide STR registration statute or licensing scheme. Every Camden County STR operator with gross receipts above the small-business threshold must obtain a Missouri Sales Tax license from the Department of Revenue (DOR) under RSMo Chapter 144 and remit the 4.225% state sales tax plus the local sales tax (the local city/county sales tax for the Camden County portion of Osage Beach is 7.475% combined; rates vary by exact taxing district). Hosting platforms (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com) collect Missouri sales tax on marketplace bookings under the marketplace facilitator law (RSMo 144.752) effective January 1, 2023, but operators with direct bookings remain personally liable. Apply for a Missouri sales tax license at dor.mo.gov/business.

(3) HISTORICAL TRI-COUNTY LODGING TAX (NOW INVALID). From 1993 through 2024, Camden, Miller, and Morgan counties operated under RSMo 67.1170-67.1180, which authorized the Lake of the Ozarks Tri-County Lodging Association (TCLA) to administer a 3% (Camden County) and 5% (Miller County) lodging tax on STR rentals to fund regional tourism marketing. On June 25, 2024, the Missouri Supreme Court decided Griswold v. Tri-County Lodging Association, Case No. SC100166, holding RSMo 67.1170, 67.1175, 67.1177, and 67.1180 facially unconstitutional and void in their entireties as a violation of Missouri Constitution Article III, Section 38(a) (prohibition on grants of public money to private entities), because the statutes vested taxing-district control in private advisory boards. The Supreme Court enjoined further collection and ordered trustees appointed to dissolve the affected business districts. As a result, as of late 2025, NO TCLA-administered lodging tax may lawfully be collected on Camden County STRs unless and until the Missouri General Assembly enacts a constitutionally compliant replacement statute.

(4) MISSOURI 2025 STR LEGISLATION (preemption status). Missouri does NOT have a statewide STR preemption statute that overrides local zoning. The Missouri General Assembly in 2025 took up HB 1768 (Rep. Chris Brown) and Senate companion SB 1066, which classify single-family homes used as STRs as RESIDENTIAL property for ad valorem property tax purposes, blocking county assessors (notably Jackson County) from reclassifying STRs as commercial and tripling property taxes. The Senate passed SB 1066 by 30-3 on March 25, 2025, and the House version moved out of committee April 2, 2025. As of December 2025 the residential-classification language was being negotiated in conference. Importantly, neither bill preempts local STR zoning, registration, or business-license authority, and neither bill is the rumored "SB 78" sometimes referenced in industry coverage. Camden County operators should monitor the Missouri Senate bill tracker at senate.mo.gov for final enactment.

(5) INCORPORATED CITIES INSIDE CAMDEN COUNTY (separate rules). Approximately half of Lake of the Ozarks STR inventory sits inside one of five incorporated cities, each with its own ordinance: - OSAGE BEACH (split between Camden and Miller counties): Per City of Osage Beach FAQ (osagebeach-mo.gov), no city business or occupational license is required to operate an STR; the city does NOT impose any additional registration. STRs are permitted in residential and commercial zones where residential condominiums are an allowed use, EXCEPT in R-3 multi-family zones, which require a 30-day MINIMUM stay. The combined sales tax for the Camden County portion of Osage Beach is 7.475%; the Miller County portion is 7.725%. The Camden County portion of Osage Beach historically collected the 3% TCLA lodging tax (now suspended after Griswold); the Miller County portion historically collected 5%. Contact: City Clerk's Office, 573-302-2000. - LAKE OZARK (Bill No. 2023-18 / Bill No. 2023-67): The Lake Ozark Planning and Zoning Commission recommended lifting the city's STR ban in November 2022, and the Board of Aldermen passed amendments in early 2023 permitting STRs in Multi-Family (R-3), Commercial (C-2), and Lake Front Mixed-Use (LFMU) zoning districts only. STRs remain PROHIBITED in Single-Family Residential R-1 and R-2 districts. The city is studying a registration program; as of late 2025 no formal city-issued STR permit was in place, but operators must comply with city zoning and obtain a Missouri sales tax number. Contact: City of Lake Ozark, 573-365-5378. - CAMDENTON, SUNRISE BEACH, LINN CREEK: Each city sets its own zoning and tax rules. Sunrise Beach has no specific STR ordinance as of late 2025 and defers to Camden County zoning; Camdenton's zoning code (eCode360) treats short-term rentals as a residential use in most districts.

COUNTY CONTACT FOR ZONING QUESTIONS: Camden County Planning and Zoning, 182 Ha Ha Tonka Cut Thru, Camdenton, MO 65020, 573-346-4440 ext. 1350, pz@camdencountymo.gov.