Buncombe County, NC Short-Term Rentals: Permit Requirements (2026)

Asheville STR/Homestay framework (City of Asheville Unified Development Ordinance, Sec. 7-16-1, Uses by Right Subject to Special Requirements): The UDO defines a Homestay as the short-term rental (under 30 days) of one or two bedrooms within a dwelling that is the operator's full-time primary residence, with the resident present during guest stays. Eligibility requirements published by the City: (1) the operator must live in the dwelling unit full-time as a primary residence, (2) the dwelling must be in a residentially-zoned area, (3) only one Homestay permit is allowed per lot and per person/household/legal entity, (4) the rental is for less than 30 days at a time, and (5) no signage is permitted. The City reduced the maximum Homestay bedrooms from three to two and removed the 25% floor-area restriction in November 2015. Homestays may not be located within a detached accessory structure, except those permitted before December 14, 2021 may continue as long as the homestay use and permit are maintained. Application materials include proof of residency (two acceptable documents), a floor-plan sketch showing the bedroom(s) to be rented, a fire-safety inspection, and the published permit fee (commonly cited at $200; verify current amount on the City's Apply for a Homestay Permit page). Homestay permits must be renewed every 12 months. Whole-house overnight rentals (rental of an entire dwelling unit for less than 30 days, called Short-Term Rentals/STRs in the UDO) are prohibited in all residential districts and are only allowed in resort and limited commercial zoning districts, where they require a change-of-use permit. Whole-dwelling STRs that were lawfully permitted prior to the 2018 prohibition may continue as legal nonconforming uses but must obtain an annual permit from the City. Active enforcement is conducted by the City's STR/Homestay enforcement officer; once a property owner is noticed for an illegal STR or unpermitted Homestay, the owner has 30 days to come into compliance before fines are issued. Unincorporated Buncombe County: The County's existing zoning ordinance currently allows short-term rentals in most areas of the unincorporated county, except for an area near Asheville Regional Airport, with a maximum heated floor area cap of 9,000 square feet. As of 2022 there were approximately 5,268 short-term rentals in Buncombe County, about 4.5% of the housing stock, with roughly 1,000 of those inside Asheville city limits. In 2023 and 2024, Buncombe County Planning staff and the Planning Board advanced text amendment ZPH2023-00038 that would: limit new STRs to specified districts; require single-family detached form; cap individual heated GFA at 4,000 square feet on parcels under 1 acre and 9,000 square feet on parcels of 1 acre or greater; impose parking, waste, and event standards; prohibit STRs in attached dwellings (duplex, townhome, multifamily), manufactured-home parks, RVs, travel trailers, and developments receiving county incentives; and grandfather existing STRs through a zoning permit. Per state law (NC Vacation Rental Act and related statutes), local governments cannot require a registration or rental permit as a condition of leasing, but they may require a zoning compliance permit; under the proposal, the grandfather mechanism is implemented through such a zoning permit. As of late 2025 reporting, the Short-Term Rental Ad Hoc Committee's work is on hold and the proposed unincorporated-county amendments have not been adopted; following Hurricane Helene, the County did pass an emergency housing ordinance to allow some STRs to convert to longer-term housing for displaced residents. Tax obligations: the Buncombe County Occupancy Tax is 6% (a 3% original tax plus an additional 3% adopted by the Tourism Development Authority and Board of Commissioners) and applies to gross receipts from any room, lodging, or accommodation rented for less than 90 continuous days, including private homes, cottages, and similar STRs; the tax is administered by the Buncombe County Tax Department under the County's Occupancy Tax ordinance and is due monthly by the 20th of the month following collection. Operators must also collect and remit North Carolina state and local sales and use tax on accommodation rentals under 90 days under N.C. Gen. Stat. 105-164.4(a)(3). Marketplace facilitators (such as Airbnb and Vrbo) generally collect and remit state sales tax on platform bookings, but operators must verify whether the platform also remits the Buncombe County Occupancy Tax for their listings and remit directly to the County for any non-platform bookings.