South Bend, IN Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
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.
Key Facts
- Dedicated STR permit
- None
- Inspection
- STRs exempt (Sec. 6-81(c)(2))
- STR definition
- Under 30 days via platform
- Bans
- Barred by IC 36-1-24
- Rental registration
- $300 non-compliance penalty
Summary
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.
Short term rental means the rental of a single-family home, a dwelling unit in a single-family home, a dwelling unit in a two-family or multifamily dwelling, or a dwelling unit in a condominium, cooperative, or time share for terms of less than thirty (30) days at a time through a short term rental platform.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 65).
Full Breakdown
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.
Violations & Fines
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to run an Airbnb in South Bend?
Are short-term rentals inspected by the city?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in South Bend
How South Bend compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·Compare South Bend to another location·View the Indiana short-term rentals overview
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