Howard County, MD Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in Howard County, MD, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- STR-specific permit
- None exists countywide
- Transient lodging classified as
- Hotel or Motel use
- Allowed in residential zones
- No (not by right)
- Residential exception
- Bed and Breakfast Inn only
- Governing authority
- Zoning Regulations Section 103.0
Summary
Howard County has no dedicated short-term-rental permit. Under the Zoning Regulations, renting sleeping accommodations to transient guests on a daily or weekly basis is a Hotel or Motel use, which is only allowed in commercial and mixed-use zoning districts, not by right in residential neighborhoods.
Hotel or Motel: Any building or portion thereof or group of buildings containing guest rooms in which, for compensation, lodging is provided to transient guests on a daily, weekly, or similar short term basis.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 91 | Zoning: Supplement 25).
Full Breakdown
Unlike Montgomery County or Baltimore City, Howard County (which governs unincorporated Columbia, Ellicott City, Elkridge and the rest of the county) has not adopted a short-term-rental licensing program. Instead, the use is controlled through zoning. Section 103.0 of the Zoning Regulations defines a 'Hotel or Motel' as any building containing guest rooms in which lodging is provided to transient guests on a daily, weekly, or similar short-term basis: a use permitted only in districts that allow lodging establishments. A whole-house Airbnb or Vrbo in a residential district therefore operates as an unlisted (and generally not-permitted) transient-lodging use. The narrow residential exception is a Bed and Breakfast Inn, limited to historic buildings or farms under agricultural preservation easement.
Violations & Fines
Operating a transient-lodging use in a district where it is not permitted is a zoning violation enforced by the Department of Planning and Zoning and Title 24 civil penalties; the County may issue notices to cease and abate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I legally run an Airbnb in a Howard County neighborhood?
Is there a short-term-rental permit application?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Howard County
How Howard County compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·Compare Howard County to another location·View the Maryland short-term rentals overview
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