Louisville, KY Short-Term Rentals: Permit Requirements (2026)

Under LMCO § 115.516 and the 2023 STR Ordinance, no person may own or operate a short-term rental (rental of fewer than 30 consecutive days) in Jefferson County without annual registration with the Louisville Metro Department of Develop Louisville / Office of Planning. Owner-occupied primary residences in residential or office-residential zones may be approved administratively. Non-owner-occupied STRs require a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) through the Planning Commission — a process requiring neighborhood meetings, public hearings, and 4–6 months. Non-owner-occupied STRs must also be at least 600 feet from another CUP-required STR. Owners must have resided on the property for at least 6 months before applying. Maximum 12 adult occupants. STRs approved under the ADU provision may not be used as short-term rentals. Some suburban jurisdictions within Jefferson County (Anchorage, Douglass Hills, Graymoor-Devondale, Hurstbourne, Indian Hills, Jeffersontown, Prospect, Shively, St. Regis Park) have not adopted STR regulations and STRs are not permitted there.