STR Rules Glossary
What each fact on a city rules page means, and why it matters if you are buying a property to rent short term. Facts are reported as researched from official sources; where we could not establish one, the tile says Unknown rather than guessing.
Key facts
Each fact below appears as a tile in the Key facts section of a city page.
- Permit or license
- Whether you need a city or county permit or license before you can legally host paying short-term guests.Why it matters: Hosting without one can mean fines and delisting, and the process adds cost and lead time before your first booking.See all cities with no permit required →
- Permit cap
- Whether the number of STR permits is limited, and if so whether any are still available.Why it matters: A full cap with a waitlist can make a property impossible to operate as an STR, whatever its numbers look like.See all cities with permits paused →
- New permits paused
- Whether the city has stopped accepting new STR permit applications for now, for example under a moratorium.Why it matters: A pause blocks new operators entirely. Check how long it runs and whether it has a history of being extended.See all cities with permits paused →
- Primary residence required
- Whether the host has to live at the property for most of the year for it to be rented short term.Why it matters: If it applies, an investment property you do not live in generally cannot be run as an STR there.See all cities that require a primary residence →
- Permit types
- The different STR permit types a city issues, such as one for owner-occupied homes and one for investor-owned homes, with who can get each.Why it matters: Only some types may be open to a buyer who will not live there. The score uses the best type an investor buying a house can get today.
- Unhosted stays allowed
- Whether you can rent the whole place while you are not staying there (no host on site).Why it matters: Most investor-owned STRs are unhosted, so a No here usually rules out the standard whole-home rental model.
- Zone eligibility
- How much of the city, by zoning, allows short-term rentals.Why it matters: STRs are often legal only in certain zones. Confirm the specific parcel is in an eligible one before you buy.
- Minimum stay
- The shortest stay a booking is allowed to be.Why it matters: A minimum of 30 nights, for example, turns the property into a mid-term rental and changes the revenue model.See all cities with a 30-day minimum →
- Nights per year
- The most nights per year the property may be rented short term. "No cap" means no annual limit is on record.Why it matters: A night cap directly limits revenue. A 90-night cap means at most about a quarter of the year can earn income.See all cities with a night cap →
- Night cap season
- The period of the year a night cap applies to, when the cap is seasonal.Why it matters: It shows whether the limit bites in your peak season, which matters more than the annual total.
- Lodging tax
- The combined percentage of the guest charge owed as lodging, occupancy or transient tax.Why it matters: It is a cost on every booking that someone must collect and remit. It affects your pricing and net revenue.See cities ranked by lodging tax →
- Platform collects tax
- Whether Airbnb or VRBO collects and pays the lodging tax for you.Why it matters: If the platform does not, you must register, collect and file the tax yourself, with penalties for missing it.
- Occupancy limit
- A rule capping how many guests may stay, such as a number per bedroom or a fixed maximum.Why it matters: It caps the group size you can market to and therefore the nightly rate a property can earn.
- Permit transfers on sale
- Whether an existing STR permit passes to a new owner when the property is sold.Why it matters: If it does not, buying a "permitted" property may not give you a permit, and you may have to reapply or be refused.
- Annual permit cost
- What the city charges each year for the STR permit or license.Why it matters: It is a fixed yearly cost to put in your operating expenses.
- Pending legislation
- A proposed or newly adopted change to the STR rules that has not taken effect yet.Why it matters: Rules can tighten after you buy. Pending changes are the early warning, so read what is proposed and when it votes.
- Enforcement fines
- How heavy the penalties are for hosting out of compliance (low, moderate or severe).Why it matters: Severe fines and quick enforcement raise the price of getting it wrong, and a lenient regime is not a licence to ignore the rules.
- Density limit
- A limit on how concentrated STRs can be, such as a maximum per block or share of a building.Why it matters: Even in an STR-friendly city, a block or building that has hit its limit cannot take another one.
- Excluded unit types
- Types of homes the rules do not allow as STRs, such as ADUs, condos or mobile homes.Why it matters: If your property type is excluded, the market is closed to you however attractive the rest looks.
- Permit number in listing
- Whether you must show your permit number on every online listing.Why it matters: Platforms and cities cross-check it, so a listing without a valid number can be removed.
- Local contact required
- Whether you must name a person or manager who can respond locally within a set time.Why it matters: If you live elsewhere you will need a local manager or service, which is an ongoing cost.
- Inspection required
- Whether the city inspects the property (for example for safety or fire code) before or while you operate.Why it matters: Failing an inspection can delay the permit, and upgrades such as alarms or egress can add cost.
- Insurance required
- Whether the host must carry liability insurance to operate legally.Why it matters: Standard homeowner policies often exclude STR use, so you may need a specialty policy.
- Minimum insurance
- The minimum liability coverage amount the rules require, when insurance is required.Why it matters: It sets the least coverage you must buy, which feeds your insurance cost.
- Parking required
- Whether the property must provide off-street parking for guests.Why it matters: A property with no driveway or garage may not qualify, however well it fits otherwise.
- Approval type
- How a permit is granted: by right (meet the rules and you get it), administratively (staff review) or after a hearing.Why it matters: A hearing means neighbours can object and the outcome is uncertain, so timing and risk are much higher.
- Permit revocation
- How a permit can be taken away, for example after a set number of violations ("strikes") or at the city's discretion.Why it matters: Your permit is the asset. A discretionary policy means it can be lost without a clear, predictable trigger.
- Owner limits
- Limits on who or how many permits one owner can hold, such as individuals only or one per owner.Why it matters: It decides whether an LLC can hold the permit and whether you can scale to a second property in the same city.
- Grandfather clause
- Whether existing STRs are allowed to keep operating when the rules get stricter.Why it matters: If you are buying an existing STR, grandfathering is what protects its income from a new ban.
- Grandfathering stays with the property
- Whether grandfathered status stays with the property when it is sold, rather than ending with the current owner.Why it matters: If it ends on sale, a grandfathered property may lose its STR rights the day you buy it.
- Path for new operators
- Whether someone who does not have a permit today can still get one: open, capped with room left, or closed.Why it matters: A closed path means only existing operators can host, so a new buyer starts without a route in.
- Ordinance challenged in court
- Whether the city's STR ordinance is being challenged in court.Why it matters: A successful challenge could loosen the rules, and an unresolved one adds uncertainty about how long they will last.
State law facts
Each fact below appears as a tile on a state page, describing what that state's own law does.
- Preempts local bans
- Whether state law stops cities and counties from banning short-term rentals outright.Why it matters: If it does, a local ban cannot be passed on top of it, so the biggest risk to an STR purchase is smaller. Cities can still regulate in other ways.
- Preempts local caps
- Whether state law stops local governments from capping how many STRs or how many nights a year are allowed.Why it matters: Local caps are what shut new operators out. Without them, a permit or a spot is far likelier to be available.
- Preempts local permits
- Whether state law stops local governments from requiring their own STR permit or license.Why it matters: Without local permits there is less cost, delay and discretion before you can take a first booking.
- Preempts minimum stays
- Whether state law stops local governments from setting a minimum length of stay.Why it matters: A local minimum of 30 nights would turn the property into a mid-term rental. Preemption keeps nightly stays legal.
- State lodging tax
- The percentage of the guest charge the state itself collects as lodging, occupancy or sales tax. Cities and counties often add their own on top.Why it matters: It is a cost on every booking that someone has to collect and remit, so it affects your pricing and net revenue.
- State license
- Whether the state itself requires STR hosts to hold a license or registration, separate from any city permit.Why it matters: A state license is an extra step and cost that applies in every city of the state.
- Pending legislation
- A state bill or rule change that would alter STR law but has not taken effect yet.Why it matters: State law can tighten or loosen after you buy. Pending bills are the early warning.
- Legacy carve-out
- The date before which existing STR operators are protected (grandfathered) from a newer state rule.Why it matters: If you are buying an existing STR, the cutoff date shows whether it falls on the protected side.
- Preemption challenged
- Whether the state law that limits local STR rules is being challenged in court.Why it matters: A successful challenge could return power to cities, so a challenged preemption is less certain to last.
Unknown and Preempted
Two answers a tile can show instead of a plain value.
- Unknown
- We have not established this fact for the place yet, or could not find a source we trust. It is not a "No", and it is never guessed.Why it matters: An Unknown can hide either a deal-breaker or nothing at all. Treat it as a question to put to the city before you buy.
- Preempted / bars local rules
- State law stops local governments from regulating this particular point, so the city or county has no rule of its own on it. The tile shows the plain answer that results, such as "No cap", with the reason beneath.Why it matters: Preemption makes a market more predictable and usually friendlier. It can also be changed by the state legislature, so check for pending bills.
Score bands
The regulation score runs from 0 to 100 and is grouped into five bands. Higher is friendlier to STR hosts.
- Highly permissive (90-100)
- STRs are broadly allowed with few conditions beyond basics such as tax registration.
- Friendly (70-89)
- STRs are allowed with light, clear requirements and no meaningful cap on how many or how often.
- Moderate (45-69)
- STRs are allowed but with real conditions: a permit, some limits, or both.
- Heavily restricted (20-44)
- STRs face significant limits such as caps, night limits, primary-residence rules or a closed permit pool.
- Effectively banned (0-19)
- STRs are prohibited or practically impossible to operate legally.
Level statuses
A city page shows the rules level by level (state, county, city, and more). When a level's own rule does not apply, its card says why.
- Preempted by state law
- State law bars this level of government from banning or requiring permits for STRs, so its rules do not apply.
- No local STR ordinance
- This level has no STR rule of its own on record. Rules from other levels can still apply.
- Unknown (jurisdiction level)
- We have not confirmed whether this level has its own STR rules.
- Not applicable
- The area is unincorporated, so no city rules apply to it.
- None on record
- For HOA, deed, special-district and platform rules: nothing is on record, which does not prove none exists for your property.
Not legal advice
STRVE is a research tool, not financial or legal advice. Always verify regulation, tax, and permitting details with the local jurisdiction and a licensed professional before you buy.
The STRVE Score and the seven-level breakdown are our own rating framework, not an official or government rating, and no jurisdiction endorses or reviews them. The rules behind them are researched from public sources with AI assistance and are current only as of the verification date shown, so they can be incomplete, outdated, or wrong. None of it substitutes for advice from local counsel. Confirm every permit, tax, occupancy, and zoning requirement against the jurisdiction's own municipal code and with an attorney licensed in that jurisdiction before you buy, list, or operate. Terms of Service