Short-term rental permit rules in Lancaster County, NE — also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration — list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
In the City of Lincoln, which covers most of Lancaster County, you must hold a valid short-term rental license before you list or advertise a rental of 30 or fewer consecutive days. Unincorporated Lancaster County has no dedicated STR license; the County Zoning Resolution governs land use there.
Lincoln and Lancaster County share a joint City-County Planning Department, but the short-term rental license applies inside Lincoln's corporate limits under Lincoln Municipal Code (LMC) Chapter 5.39, effective September 20, 2021. A short-term rental unit is all or part of a dwelling offered to the public for stays of no more than 30 consecutive days. It is unlawful to make available or even advertise a unit without a valid license issued by the Building Official (the Planning Director). Villages such as Waverly and Hickman set their own rules, and unincorporated county acreages are governed by the Lancaster County Zoning Resolution rather than an STR license, under Neb. Rev. Stat. Section 23-114.
Operating or advertising without a license is a misdemeanor; each day is a separate offense. Fines run not less than $200 for a first offense, $300 second, $400 third, up to a $500 maximum, and/or up to six months in
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