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Short-Term Rentals in Ohio (2026)

82 rules on the books across Ohio, 19 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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Oregon

Significant Restrictions

Oregon, Ohio requires anyone operating or advertising a short-term rental to first obtain an annual operating permit…

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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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Canton

Some Restrictions

Renting out a Canton, Ohio dwelling as short-term or Airbnb-style lodging is regulated as "Limited Lodging" and needs…

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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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Oregon

Significant Restrictions

Anyone operating a short-term rental in Oregon, Ohio must register with the city's Department of Taxation and pay a…

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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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Canton

Some Restrictions

Short-term rental platforms that book Canton, Ohio hotel stays, meaning any Booking Agent under Canton Codified…

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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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Middletown

Some Restrictions

Middletown levies a 3% transient occupancy tax on rents paid by guests staying under 30 consecutive days, under Code of…

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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.

Akron

Some Restrictions

Akron caps overnight occupancy at short-term rentals under City Code § 111.624(C): no more than two guests per sleeping…

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Cleveland

Some Restrictions

Cleveland caps overnight occupancy in a licensed short-term rental at two guests per bedroom, plus two additional…

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Lakewood

Some Restrictions

Lakewood limits short-term rental occupancy to two persons per bedroom plus two additional persons, and allows no more…

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Lorain County

Some Restrictions

Lorain County sets no STR headcount limit for incorporated cities. Lorain's code caps a 'transient guest' stay at 29…

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Medina

Some Restrictions

Medina's zoning code limits overnight occupancy at short term rentals to two persons per bedroom plus two additional…

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Montgomery County

Some Restrictions

Montgomery County sets no guest-count occupancy cap for short-term rentals. Occupancy limits, if any, come from your…

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Oregon

Some Restrictions

Oregon, Ohio caps overnight guests in a permitted short-term rental at two occupants per sleeping room, and that…

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Parma

Some Restrictions

Parma caps short-term rental occupancy at two people per bedroom under Codified Ordinances Section 1729.04(a)(6). The…

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Summit County

Some Restrictions

Summit County does not cap short-term-rental occupancy. Occupancy limits come from municipal STR ordinances and…

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Toledo

Some Restrictions

Toledo limits overnight guests in a permitted short-term rental to two people per sleeping room plus two more, per…

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