York County, PA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in York County, PA, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- Registration deadline
- 30 days from tax start or first booking
- Registering agency
- York County Treasurer
- Method
- Treasurer's registration form, completed by operator
- Covers
- Hotels, B&Bs, homestays, and short-term rentals
- County zoning permit
- None: zoning is set by the municipality
- Noncompliance penalty
- $75-$300 fines, up to 30 days jail
Summary
York County's only county-level compliance step for a short-term rental or homestay is tax registration, not a land-use permit: § 107-12 requires every operator of a hotel, including short-term rentals and homestays, to register with the County Treasurer within 30 days of the tax's effective date or of starting business, whichever is later, by completing the Treasurer's registration form.
§ 107-12. Registration. Within 30 days after the effective date of the hotel occupancy tax or within 30 days after commencing business, which is later, each operator of a hotel shall register said hotel with the County Treasurer by completing the registration form provided by the Treasurer.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 2886585; v8 updated 2021-04-21; through 04-21-2021).
Full Breakdown
York County government does not zone; dimensional and land-use permitting for a short-term rental is set by the borough or township where the property sits, not the County. " Because § 107-3 defines a short-term rental as a dwelling rented for under 30 consecutive nights and a homestay as a host's residence used the same way, and both fall within the article's broad OPERATOR and HOTEL definitions, a short-term rental host is an "operator of a hotel" for registration purposes. Once registered, the host must file a hotel room excise tax return under § 107-7, collect and remit the 5% tax under § 107-4, and keep three years of records under § 107-8 so the County or its auditor can review them under § 107-9.
The County Solicitor can pursue unpaid taxes through civil action under § 107-11, and § 107-9 lets the County demand books and records from a registered operator on 30 days' written notice. Registration itself carries no separate fee in the ordinance; it is the mechanism that opens the operator's account with the Treasurer for quarterly or monthly filing under § 107-6.
Violations & Fines
Operating without registering does not excuse the tax: § 107-13 treats any violation of the article, including failure to register, as a summary offense before a District Magistrate, with fines of $75 for a first offense rising to $300 for a fourth and each later offense, plus up to 30 days' imprisonment if the fine is not paid. Each 24-hour period a violation continues after written notice counts as a separate offense, and the County Solicitor may also sue to compel compliance under § 107-11.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does York County issue a permit for short-term rentals?
What has to be submitted to register a short-term rental?
What if a short-term rental host never registers with the County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in York County
How York County compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·Compare York County to another location·View the Pennsylvania short-term rentals overview
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