Bowling Green, KY Short-Term Rentals: Primary-Residence-Only Rule (2026)

After reviewing Bowling Green Zoning Ordinance Article 5, Section 5.2.4(C)(4)(c), the City of Bowling Green Short Term Rental Guide, and the City-County Planning Commission's STR program materials, there is no codified primary-residence-only restriction limiting STR licenses to dwellings the operator uses as their own primary home. Eligible STR properties include the operator's primary residence, a second home or vacation property, a single investment dwelling, and a portfolio of investment dwellings (each requiring its own CUP and STR license). There is no codified per-operator cap on the number of STR licenses one person or entity may hold, unlike markets such as Longmont CO (one investment dwelling per resident) or Denver CO (primary residence only). Out-of-state ownership is eligible: the program does not impose a residency requirement on the operator. Corporate and LLC ownership structures are eligible provided the standard application materials are submitted. The trade-off for this permissive ownership structure is that all Bowling Green STRs must clear the case-by-case Conditional Use Permit public hearing process under ZO Article 5, Section 5.1, where the Board of Zoning Adjustment may impose property-specific conditions or deny the CUP based on neighborhood opposition, traffic concerns, parking inadequacy, or fit-with-surrounding-uses analysis. The categorical zoning prohibition in RS (single-family residential) districts is a significant practical constraint: most single-family neighborhood housing stock cannot be converted to STR regardless of who owns it. STRs are generally permitted in mixed-use, neighborhood commercial, and central business zoning districts subject to CUP approval. This zoning-based scale control plus the CUP public hearing is Bowling Green's primary mechanism for managing STR density, in lieu of a primary-residence-only or per-operator cap regime.