Madison's proposed ordinance does not require an STR to be the host's primary residence. Instead it caps citywide STR permits at 190 (0.75% of housing stock), allows various dwelling types, and restricts STRs to zoning districts approved in the Zoning Ordinance.
Ordinance 2026-201 contains no owner-occupancy or primary-residence mandate. Any qualifying dwelling may be used as an STR: single-family detached, single-family attached (condos/townhomes), multi-family units, mobile homes on a permanent foundation in a designated park, and accessory buildings such as carriage houses or converted garages. The operator must be the owner or proprietor, or the owner's written agent. Rather than requiring primary residence, the city limits proliferation by capping total permits and confining STRs to zoning districts permitted by the Zoning Ordinance. Recreational vehicles may not be used as STRs.
Operating in a non-permitted zoning district or beyond the permit cap is unlawful and enforceable by citation, fine, or injunction as a public nuisance per se.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Madison, AL
Madison has no ordinance prohibiting backyard composting, and no permit is required. Compost simply cannot become a nuisance: property-maintenance rules requ...
Madison, AL
Madison's Zoning Ordinance prohibits synthetic or artificial material imitating turf, trees, shrubs, or other plants from being used in lieu of the plant mat...
Madison, AL
Madison does not require homeowners to use native plants. For development sites, the Zoning Ordinance requires living trees, shrubs, or ground cover approved...
Madison, AL
Madison has no ordinance restricting residential rain barrels or rainwater harvesting. The Zoning Ordinance actually encourages low-impact stormwater practic...
Madison, AL
The City of Madison does not impose a mandatory outdoor-watering ordinance. Water service is provided by Madison Utilities, whose conservation status is norm...
Madison, AL
Overgrown grass or weeds that harbor pests, create a fire hazard, spread seeds, or are unsightly may be declared a public nuisance in Madison. Separately, al...
See how Madison's primary-residence-only rule rules stack up against other locations.
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