The STR law reference desk
Short-term rental law, mapped city by city.
Browse U.S. cities below — each with permit rules, night caps, occupancy taxes, and a link to the ordinance that says so. Every field dated and sourced to a primary .gov record.
- cities mapped in full
- 11
- states covered so far
- 8
- of fields tied to a primary source
- 100%
- last reviewed across the database
- Jul 2026
Can you legally STR it? The city index.
About this database →| City | Verdict | License | Primary residence? | Night cap | Lodging tax | Investor whole-home? | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego, CA | Conditional | STRO license (4 tiers) | Tier 2 (home sharing) only | Tier 1: 20 days/yr; others none | TOT 11.75–13.75% (zoned; most STR areas 11.75%) | Tier 3/4 — capped & waitlisted | 2026-07-20 |
| Denver, CO | Conditional | STR business license | Yes — strict (live there ≥183 days/yr) | None | ~14.75% (10.75% Lodger's Tax + ~4% state) | No — banned | 2026-07-20 |
| Austin, TX | Allowed | STR license (Type 1/2/3) | Type 1 only | None | 17% (11% city HOT + 6% state) | Yes (Type 2) | 2026-07-20 |
| Nashville, TN | Conditional | STRP permit (Type 1/2) | Type 1 only | None | 7% HOT + $2.50/night + 9.25% sales | Type 2 — most residential zones closed | 2026-07-20 |
| New Orleans, LA | Restricted | NSTR / CSTR permit | NSTR: yes (homestead exemption) | One STR per city square | 5% + 6.75% + $5–12/night fees + sales taxes | CSTR only — new applications frozen | 2026-07-20 |
| Scottsdale, AZ | Allowed | City STR license ($250/yr) + AZ TPT | No | None | ~14.27% combined TPT stack | Yes — state-protected | 2026-07-20 |
| Gatlinburg, TN | Allowed | Overnight Rental permit + inspection | No | None (each stay ≤89 days) | ~12.75% combined + 1.25% gross receipts | Yes | 2026-07-20 |
| Myrtle Beach, SC | Conditional | City business license (revenue-tiered) | No — zoning is the gatekeeper | None (stays <90 days) | ~10% (7% state + 1.5% city + 1.5% county) | Yes — overlay/RMV zones only | 2026-07-20 |
| Miami Beach, FL | Restricted | Certificate of Use + BTR + Resort Tax registration | No | 6 mo + 1 day minimum in banned zones; 7-night minimum in overlays | ~14% (6% state + 1% surtax + 3% CDT + 4% Resort Tax) | Eligible commercial districts + 3 overlays only | 2026-07-22 |
| Orlando / Kissimmee, FL | Restricted | Varies by jurisdiction — Home Share reg. / county STR license + DBPR + BTR | City of Orlando home share: yes | None | 12–13.5% by county (Orange 12.5% / Osceola 13.5% / Polk 12%) | Not in City of Orlando; yes in STR-overlay zones | 2026-07-23 |
| Panama City Beach, FL | Allowed | Vacation Rental Certificate + DBPR + BTR | No | None (no minimum stay) | 12% inside the TDT district; 7% outside it | Yes — no zoning restriction | 2026-07-24 |
Snapshot only — taxes and caps carry conditions. Each city page has the sourced, component-level breakdown and its own verification date.
Explainers
- Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) Explained: What Short-Term Rental Hosts Actually PayA transient occupancy tax is a local tax on the guest that you must collect, hold in trust and remit. What it is called in your state, who actually remits each layer, why Airbnb does not collect all of it, and what the combined rate really is across 11 markets.
- Primary-Residence STR Rules: What “Owner-Occupied” Actually MeansMost cities that require a primary residence for a short-term rental do not require you to own it. The day thresholds, the absence allowances, the exact proof documents cities accept, and where the rule is preempted outright.
How we keep this current
Every field is checked against a primary .gov source — the municipal code, the permitting program page, or the tax authority — and stamped with the date it was last verified. When we can't confirm a figure against primary text, the page says so instead of guessing.