Lima does NOT require a short-term rental to be the host's primary residence. Because the City has no STR ordinance, whole-home and non-owner-occupied short-term rentals are allowed, subject only to the general zoning rules for the district and the free Rental Housing Unit Registration for non-owner-occupied units (Chapter 872).
Cities that restrict short-term rentals to a host's primary home do so through a dedicated STR ordinance. Lima has adopted no such ordinance, so there is no owner-occupancy or primary-residence condition on short-term renting. A non-owner-occupied or investor-owned home can operate as a short-term rental provided the use is permitted in its zoning district (Part Twelve) and the owner registers the unit under Chapter 872, which expressly applies to units that are 'not owner-occupied.' Ohio state law likewise imposes no primary-residence mandate for short-term rentals, leaving the choice to each municipality. Operators should still confirm zoning-district use and complete the rental registration; nothing in Lima's code forces the host to live in the unit.
There is no primary-residence violation because no such requirement exists. Enforcement risk instead comes from operating in a zoning district that does not permit the use, or from failing to register a non-owner-occupied unit under Chapter 872, both handled by
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Lima, OH
Lima has no ordinance banning backyard composting. A tidy compost pile is allowed, but rotting, odorous, or rubbish-strewn accumulations can be cited as a nu...
Lima, OH
Lima has no ordinance specifically permitting or banning artificial turf in residential yards. It is not covered by the weed/grass height rules, but front-ya...
Lima, OH
Lima has no ordinance banning native or naturalized landscaping. Cultivated flowers and gardens are exempt from the weed rules, but any planting must still m...
Lima, OH
Lima has no ordinance banning or licensing residential rain barrels. Ohio law allows private rainwater collection; the state plumbing code governs any indoor...
Lima, OH
Lima has no standing lawn-watering ban or odd/even schedule. The City's Utilities Department draws on roughly 15 billion gallons of reservoir storage, so out...
Lima, OH
Beyond the 8-inch height limit, Lima requires premises free of all noxious or harmful weeds and vines. The Code Official orders cutting within five days; Ohi...
See how Lima's primary-residence-only rule rules stack up against other locations.
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