Short-Term Rentals in Kentucky ( 2026 )

No one may own a short-term rental in Lexington-Fayette County without a special fees license from the Division of…

Louisville

Louisville Metro requires every short-term rental in Jefferson County to register annually with Develop Louisville…

Noise Rules

Noise restrictions that apply specifically to short-term rental properties, including quiet hours and rules about parties and gatherings.

Lexington

Lexington short-term rental licensees may not host weddings, parties or other private events between 11:00 p.m. and…

Boone County

Light Restrictions

In unincorporated Boone County, short-term rental owners must hand every guest an information brochure disclosing…

StatewideSome Restrictions

Taxes & Fees

Transient occupancy taxes, tourism fees, and other charges that hosts must collect from guests or pay to the city.

Kentucky: statewide

Kentucky imposes a statewide 1% transient room tax on all short-term lodging rentals under 30 days, including Airbnb…

Louisville

Louisville Metro short-term rental hosts must register with the Revenue Commission and pay the 8.5% transient room tax…

Boone County

Boone County requires a short-term rental permit before any unincorporated-area home can be advertised or rented for…

Campbell County

Campbell County layers three transient room taxes, 3% plus a 1% special levy plus a 1% additional levy, for a combined…

Daviess County

Daviess County's transient room tax reaches anyone who brokers, coordinates, or otherwise arranges short-term lodging…

Lexington

Hosting platforms operating in Lexington-Fayette County must collect and remit transient room tax on every booking they…

Short-Term Rental Parking Rules

Off-street parking requirements for rental guests, limits on the number of vehicles, and restrictions on street parking near rental properties.

Boone County

Boone County requires at least one off-street, paved parking space per guestroom or suite at every short-term rental…

Lexington

Lexington-Fayette short-term rental applicants must submit a site plan showing exactly how many vehicles the property…

Louisville

Louisville Metro requires short-term rentals approved by conditional use permit to provide sufficient host and guest…

Occupancy Limits

Maximum number of guests allowed per rental unit, often based on the number of bedrooms or square footage of the property.

Boone County

Boone County caps short-term rental occupancy at two adult guests per bedroom plus two more adults, with a hard ceiling…

Lexington

A Lexington short-term rental may hold only the maximum number of occupants set in its conditional use permit, or…

Louisville

Louisville Metro caps short-term rental occupancy at twice the bedroom count plus two guests, with a hard ceiling of 12…

Insurance Requirements

Liability insurance minimums and other coverage that hosts must carry when renting their property to short-term guests.

Boone County

Boone County requires every short-term rental applicant in the unincorporated county to submit proof of general…

Lexington

Every Lexington-Fayette short-term rental license application must include proof of at least $1,000,000 in general…

Host Presence Rule

Whether your city allows only home-sharing (host on-site during the rental) versus whole-home unhosted rentals, and the enforcement process for violations.

Lexington

A hosted short-term rental in Lexington-Fayette requires the primary resident to keep living on the property while…

Primary-Residence-Only Rule

Rules limiting short-term rentals to a host's primary residence, including documentation required to prove residency and rules against operating multiple listings.

Lexington

Lexington-Fayette limits an individual to one primary residence, and Sec. 13-76 requires 275 days of actual occupancy a…

Louisville

In Louisville Metro's residential zoning districts, a short-term rental must be the owner's primary residence unless a…

Repeat Violator Strikes

Three-strike or escalating-penalty systems for hosts with repeated noise, occupancy, or registration violations, including permit revocation thresholds.

Lexington

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government revokes a short-term rental's special fees license once the licensee or…

Louisville

Louisville Metro revokes a short-term rental registration after two substantiated violations or complaints on the same…

Boone County

Boone County Code § 114.08(C)-(D) escalates enforcement against repeat short-term rental violators: any violation of…

Host Platform Liability

When platforms (Airbnb, VRBO) are liable for unpermitted listings, registration-number display rules and platform takedown obligations.

Louisville

Louisville Metro can order Hosting Platforms to pull short-term rental listings with invalid or revoked registration…

Lexington

Light Restrictions

Only short-term rentals registered under Lexington's licensing article may be advertised for stays under 30 days on a…