Parma, OH Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)

Section 1729.02(a) makes it unlawful for any owner, permanent occupant, operator, manager or employee to engage in, conduct or carry on the operation of a short-term rental in Parma without first obtaining a permit under Chapter 1729. The ordinance treats a paying guest occupying the unit as prima facie evidence of an unpermitted short-term rental operation, so the city does not need to catch money changing hands to cite a host. Applications go to the Building Commissioner on approved forms with the fee set in Section 185.04(f)(1) of the Administrative Code; a new permit takes effect the day it issues and expires automatically on December 31 of that same year regardless of when in the year it was granted.

Renewal must happen before year's end under Section 1729.02(c), and a lapsed permit simply expires on December 31, requiring the host to reapply. The permit must carry an individual account number and be prominently displayed inside the dwelling per Section 1729.03(e). Any change in ownership of the building, dwelling or business, or a change in the host's name, voids the existing permit outright and forces a fresh application under Section 1729.03(d). The Commissioner or a designee also inspects every permitted rental annually for maintenance violations, billed under the fee schedule in Section 185.04(f)(3), and the host or an agent must personally inspect the unit at least monthly under Section 1729.03(f).