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Short-Term Rentals in Ohio (2026)

72 rules on the books across Ohio, 16 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.

Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions

Short-Term Rental Permits

Whether you need a license or permit to list your property on Airbnb, VRBO, or similar platforms, and what the application process looks like.

Lakewood

Heavy Restrictions

Lakewood's short-term rental ordinance requires a Short Term Rental Permit from the Building Department before any unit…

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Akron

Significant Restrictions

Akron requires every short-term rental operator to register with the city before renting out a unit for stays under 30…

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Cincinnati

Significant Restrictions

Cincinnati's short-term rental registration, set out in Municipal Code Section 856-7, requires a fee, a certification…

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Cleveland

Significant Restrictions

Cleveland requires every owner or operator of a short-term rental to hold a license from the Commissioner before…

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Columbus

Significant Restrictions

Columbus requires every short-term rental host to obtain an annual city permit before listing a dwelling on Airbnb…

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Parma

Significant Restrictions

Parma requires a permit from the Building Commissioner before anyone operates a short-term rental in the city, under…

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Toledo

Significant Restrictions

Toledo requires every short-term rental, any dwelling rented for up to 30 days and advertised on a hosting platform, to…

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Lima

Some Restrictions

Lima requires every owner of a non-owner-occupied housing unit inside the city to obtain and maintain a Rental Housing…

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Lorain County

Some Restrictions

Lorain County does not zone incorporated cities, so short-term-rental permits are set by your city. In the City of…

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Montgomery County

Some Restrictions

Montgomery County, Ohio issues no short-term-rental permit. Land use is zoned by your city, village, or township, not…

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Stark County

Some Restrictions

There is no county STR registry. Inside the City of Canton, a short-term rental is a non-owner-occupied residential…

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Taxes & Fees

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

Ohio: statewide

StatewideHeavy Restrictions

Ohio Revised Code 5739.02 and 5739.09 establish the state sales tax and local lodging excise tax framework that applies…

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Akron

Significant Restrictions

Akron charges operators a three percent excise tax on the gross revenue of every short-term rental in the city under §…

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Cleveland

Significant Restrictions

Cleveland requires every short-term rental owner or operator to hold an annual license from the Commissioner before…

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Butler County

Some Restrictions

Butler County levies a 3% lodging tax on transient stays under ORC 5739.09, funding the Convention & Visitors Bureau…

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Cincinnati

Some Restrictions

Cincinnati imposes a 7% excise tax on the gross revenue of every short-term rental -- a dwelling or part of one rented…

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Columbus

Some Restrictions

Columbus taxes short-term rental stays at a combined 5.1% excise rate, collected by hosts or hosting platforms and…

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Hamilton County

Some Restrictions

This is the real county-level rule. Ohio law (ORC 5739.09) lets a county levy a lodging excise tax, and Hamilton…

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Lima

Some Restrictions

Short-term stays in Lima are taxed as lodging. The City levies a Hotel-Motel Tax under Codified Ordinances Chapter 890…

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Lorain County

Some Restrictions

The City of Lorain levies a 3% transient guest (lodging) tax on short-term rentals, collected from guests and remitted…

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Lucas County

Some Restrictions

Lucas County levies a hotel/motel lodging tax under ORC 5739.09 that applies to short-term lodging. County remittance…

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Montgomery County

Some Restrictions

Montgomery County levies a 3% excise tax on lodging furnished to transient guests, authorized by ORC 5739.09. It…

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Parma

Some Restrictions

Parma short-term rental hosts must collect and remit the city's admissions charge and tax under Chapter 181, as…

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Stark County

Some Restrictions

Stark County levies a 6% lodging (bed) tax that hotels and motels collect from transient guests and remit quarterly to…

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Summit County

Some Restrictions

Summit County levies a lodging excise tax of 5.5% on hotels, motels, rooming houses and other lodging furnished to…

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Toledo

Some Restrictions

Toledo charges a flat $50 application fee for every short-term rental operating permit, and the permit is good for one…

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Occupancy Limits

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