Kansas City, MO Short-Term Rentals: Taxes & Fees (2026)
Key Facts
- Fee rate
- $3.00 per occupied room/day
- Filing
- Quarterly return to commissioner of revenue
- Exemption
- Under $20/day or $85/week rentals
- Max late penalty
- 30% plus prime-rate interest
Summary
Kansas City charges short-term rental operators and booking services $3.00 per occupied room per day, with proceeds funding the downtown arena and tourism promotion.
Every operator or booking service provider responsible for the collection and remittance of the license fee described in this section, who is engaged in the business of renting, leasing, or letting living quarters, sleeping accommodations, rooms or a part thereof, in connection with any short-term rental unit in the city shall pay to the city a license fee of $3.00 per occupied room by a guest per day on all such short-term rental units.(b)Use of proceeds. Fifty percent of the fee described in subsection (a) shall be used by the city for repayment of the project financing for the downtown arena. The remaining 50 percent of such fee shall be used for convention and tourism purposes.(c)Definitions. Definitions for purposes of this section are as follows: Booking service provider means a person or entity that facilitates the booking of a short-term rental unit.
Facilitate includes, but is not limited to, the act of allowing an operator to offer to list or advertise, typically for a charge or fee, the short-term rental unit on an internet website, in a print publication, or through another forum provided or maintained by the booking service provider.
Occupancy refers to the use or possession, or the right to use or possess, any room, lodging, or accommodation in any short-term rental unit.
Occupied room includes a room occupied by a non-paying guest. Complimentary rooms shall be considered occupied rooms for purposes of the license fee, except for:
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 139 | Zoning and Development Code: Supplement 38).
Full Breakdown
Operators and booking service providers renting short-term rental units - dwellings with eight or fewer rooms rented to transient guests for 30 or fewer consecutive days - must collect and remit a $3.00 per-occupied-room, per-day license fee to the city's commissioner of revenue. Returns are filed quarterly, due April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31 for the preceding three-month period. Half the fee repays downtown arena project financing; the remaining half funds convention and tourism purposes. Rooms renting under $20/day or $85/week, and homeless shelters, are excluded from the fee.
Violations & Fines
Unpaid fees draw a 10 percent penalty for the first month past due, plus 2 percent for each additional month, capped at 30 percent total, plus interest at the prime rate set every October.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owes Kansas City's short-term rental fee?
How often is the fee due?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kansas City
How Kansas City compares: Cities with the Highest Short-Term Rental Taxes·Compare Kansas City to another location·View the Missouri short-term rentals overview
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Taxes & Fees in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Jackson County handle taxes & fees.