Lawrence, KS Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)

Section 6-1354(a) makes it unlawful to rent to a transient guest on a short-term basis, defined at § 6-1352 as less than 30 days, without first obtaining a short-term rental license for that property from the department of planning and development services and without possessing a current, valid license at the time of the rental. Subsection (b) allows co-owners to share one license: it is sufficient for any one owner of a multi-owner property to hold the current, valid license. The application process under § 6-1356 requires the property address, the owner's contact information, a resident agent within 40 miles of the city if the owner lives farther away, a nondiscrimination statement, and a notarized signature.

Under § 6-1357(a), the code official has 21 days from a complete application to approve and issue the license unless the application is incomplete, the property's use would violate the article, the applicant is a habitual violator under § 6-1370, or the application is fraudulent; an incomplete application gives the owner 14 days to cure it, and a denial can be appealed within 14 days to the building code board of appeals under § 6-1367. The license itself must be posted on the property and displayed on every listing platform advertising the property under § 6-1358, runs on a calendar-year term expiring December 31 under § 6-1359, and must be renewed annually by December 1 under § 6-1360.