Short-term rental permit rules in South Bend, IN — also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration — list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
South Bend has no dedicated short-term rental permit and cannot ban rentals under Indiana's IC 36-1-24. STRs are expressly exempt from the city's rental-inspection program (Sec. 6-81(c)(2)); non-owner-occupied STRs must still register as rentals.
Indiana Code 36-1-24 makes an owner-occupied short-term rental a permitted residential use and bars cities from prohibiting or unreasonably restricting rentals in residential zones. South Bend has not adopted a separate STR licensing ordinance. Its Rental Safety Verification Program (Chapter 6, Article 14, Ord. 10644-19) defines a short term rental as a stay under 30 days booked through a platform and specifically exempts STRs from the mandatory occupancy inspection required of other rentals. Owners who do not occupy the property must still register it through DCI Neighborhood Services.
There is no STR-specific permit fine because the city issues no STR permit. Failing to register a non-owner-occupied rental with DCI Neighborhood Services carries a $300 civil penalty per rental unit.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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