Short-term rental permit rules in Durham County, NC — also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration — list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
North Carolina bars Durham from requiring a permit or permission to rent out residential property, so there is no city or county short-term-rental license. The joint City-County Unified Development Ordinance instead regulates paid overnight lodging through its 'Bed and Breakfast' zoning use, which needs a minor special-use permit in residential
Durham City and Durham County share a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) that governs both the city and unincorporated county, but it contains no stand-alone 'short-term rental' permit. State law (NCGS 160D-1207) prohibits Durham from requiring owners to obtain permits or permission to lease residential property. Where a home is used for paid overnight stays with an owner or manager living there, the UDO classifies it as a 'Bed and Breakfast,' shown as 'L/m' in residential districts (RR, RS, RS-M, RU, RU-M, RC) under note 5.3.4.D, meaning it is a limited use that also needs a minor special-use permit. A whole-house rental with no on-site owner does not match any listed residential use, but NCGS 160D-1207 limits how Durham may enforce
Zoning violations of the UDO are enforced by City-County Planning and can bring civil penalties, daily fines, and abatement orders under NCGS Chapter 160D. Operating a listed lodging use without any required special-use permit can trigger a stop-use order.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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