Tulsa, OK Short-Term Rentals: Permit Requirements (2026)

Title 21 Chapter 26 of the Tulsa Municipal Code is Tulsa's dedicated short-term rental chapter, enacted by Ordinances 24323 and 24328 in March 2020 after a year-long council process and effective immediately on adoption. The chapter applies to any dwelling rented for fewer than 30 consecutive days and requires a city-issued STR license before the property can be advertised or offered for rent on any platform. The annual fee is $375, broken into a $75 license fee (per Title 21 Sec. 107 non-refundable fee schedule) and a $300 implementation and compliance fee that funds a dedicated city STR employee and a 24/7 complaint hotline. All licenses expire on June 30 each year and must be renewed before that date; renewal is not automatic. Application is filed online through the City's Business Licensing portal and must include the property owner's name and contact details, the STR operator's name and contact details (if different), an emergency contact, the property address and parcel number, bedroom and room counts, the number of on-site parking spaces, the maximum occupancy, the unit's use classification, and a list of every website where the unit will be advertised. The chapter distinguishes 'Principal Use' STRs (the unit is operated exclusively as an STR) from 'Accessory Use' STRs (the owner or a tenant occupies the unit part-time and rents the rest), but the same $375 fee and licensing standards apply to both. Neighbors are not given individual notice when a license is issued, but the City publishes a public STR Registration Map so adjacent residents can verify status. Maximum occupancy follows Title 55 Sec. 404. The license number must appear on every advertisement and a physical copy of the license must be posted inside the rental near the main entry. Operators must also collect Oklahoma sales tax and the City of Tulsa hotel/motel tax (5% on properties with five or more total rooms under Title 21 lodging-tax provisions; the same rules treat any STR as a hotel for tax purposes), which is due the last calendar day of each month with a 3% early-payment discount if delivered by the 15th.