Vestavia Hills, AL Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)

Code of Ordinances § 5-246, adopted by Ord. No. 3204 (12-11-23), defines a short-term rental as the rental of any residence, or any part of one, to a transient for overnight occupancy for a period less than 90 consecutive calendar days, counting any partial day as a full day. A residence covers any dwelling, dwelling unit or structure located in a residential zoning district under the Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Map, including detached single-family homes, attached single-family homes, duplexes and multi-family dwellings. Subsection (b), Prohibited Rental Duration, makes it unlawful for any person to rent or offer to rent, for any type of remuneration, a covered residence to a transient for less than 90 consecutive days.

Subsection (c), Advertisement of Short-Term Rentals Prohibited, separately bars advertising, soliciting or facilitating such a rental by any means, including mailings, print ads, internet listings, e-mail or Facebook posts. The section's definitions extend liability beyond the property owner: an operator, managing agency or rental agent bears the same duties as the owner, and a person or enterprise that knowingly provides another with the means or opportunity to violate the article is deemed to facilitate the offense. Because the ban applies to the residence's use rather than to a licensing scheme, there is no short-term rental permit or registration process to apply for in the city; the rental itself is what's prohibited.