Blue Springs, MO Short-Term Rentals: Taxes & Fees (2026)

Section 605.220 bars anyone from operating a short-term rental in Blue Springs without registering annually with the City, and the registration packet must include proof of compliance with Chapter 655 (the hotels/motels tax chapter) along with payment of a registration fee the City Council sets by resolution. Section 655.130, added by Ordinance No. 5485 on March 16, 2026, provides that all short-term rentals, as defined in Chapter 605, are subject to the City's hotel/motel transient-guest tax the same as a traditional hotel or motel; operators file monthly returns or document that a booking platform remitted the tax on their behalf.

Section 605.240 classifies failure to remit required taxes as a 'major violation' of the short-term rental chapter, distinct from the graduated fines for lesser violations (a written warning, then $100, $250, $250, and $500 for repeated offenses). A major violation, which also covers life-safety violations and repeated nuisance activity, can lead to suspension of the rental's registration for up to ninety days or revocation for up to one year, with appeals handled under Chapter 605's procedures. Because Section 655.130 folds short-term rentals into the existing hotel/motel tax scheme, the underlying tax rate, monthly payment deadline, and late-payment penalties set out in Chapter 655 apply to registered short-term rental hosts just as they apply to hotels and motels.