Airbnb Rental Laws and Regulations
Short-Term Rules and Regulations
Staying on top of short-term rental regulations for each city can be challenging. Our community has created guides for the top rental cities and is constantly adding more.
Short-Term Rental Regulations by State
Short-term rentals have become very popular for travelers. Platforms like Airbnb and VRBO offer unique and affordable lodging. However, before making any investment decisions, it's essential to understand the short term rental laws and local regulations. Our guides provide a comprehensive overview of the local regulations, facts, and figures related to Airbnb rental properties in each city. They also include information on rental rates based on property size.
Hosts should be aware of any restrictions regarding the number of guests, activities, and hours of operation in the rental. This includes potential limits on the number of guests, the type of activities, and the hours of operation. Finally, it is essential to understand the local laws regarding short-term rental advertising, such as zoning requirements and noise ordinances.
Popular Vacation Rental Regulation Guides
Our community helps to improve our guides. However, local rules can change. To ensure accuracy, check rental ordinances before making any investment decisions.
Our full short-term rental regulation guides by state
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington, DC
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
What to know about short-term rental rules
Most people are familiar with the traditional long-term rental agreement. This is when you sign a lease for an apartment, house, or other dwellings for a set period of time, usually six months to a year. But what about renting out your home on a short-term basis, like Airbnb or VRBO? That's where things can get a little tricky, and you need to be aware of city regulations.
There may be laws and regulations governing short-term rentals depending on where you live. For example, in New York City, it is illegal to rent out an entire apartment for less than 30 days if the owner is not present. So if you're planning on listing your place on Airbnb or another vacation rental site, make sure you check with your city first to see if there are any restrictions.
Even if there are no laws explicitly prohibiting short-term rentals, other regulations may apply. For instance, most cities have zoning laws that dictate what businesses can operate in certain areas. If you live in a residential neighborhood, you may not be able to rent out your home as a vacation rental unless it's zoned for commercial use.
And finally, even if your city does allow short-term rentals, local homeowners associations (HOA) for the neighborhood or building might have restrictions on the use of the property. Check out our free city regulation guides, the library of vacation rental how-to's, and host resources to get you started with your short-term rental operation.