Short-term rentals usually operate in residential zones under a separate STR ordinance, and in commercial or mixed-use zones when run as lodging. Whether the owner lives on site is often what decides if an STR is allowed in a residential zone.
New to zoning types? Read what residential zoning means and what it allows.
R - Residential
or
C - Commercial
Is a short term rental allowed in Columbus?
Open the Columbus zoning map to find a property's zoning district, then check what that district allows.
Check zoning in Columbus, OH →Most codes define a short-term rental by the length of each stay, and a common cutoff is fewer than 30 consecutive nights. Some places use a different number, so find the definition in your local code. Older codes may call the same thing a "transient rental," "vacation rental" or "transient occupancy," meaning the guest is a visitor rather than a tenant.
That definition matters because stays of 30 days or more are usually treated as ordinary rentals, which residential zones allow without short-term rental permits.
Most short-term rental ordinances sort listings into types and give each type different rules.
| STR type | Typical treatment |
|---|---|
| Hosted, owner lives on site | Allowed in most residential zones that permit STRs, often with a basic permit |
| Unhosted, owner's primary home | Often allowed with a night cap or a permit |
| Unhosted, not the owner's home | Often limited to certain zones or capped by permit counts, sometimes banned in residential zones |
| Commercial STR, multiple units run as lodging | Often treated like a hotel, motel or inn in commercial or mixed-use zones |
The last row is where an STR stops being a home use. Projects built or bought to run as nightly lodging should compare the rules for a hotel or a bed and breakfast.
An STR permit is a local license to rent a property for short stays. Requirements vary, but applications often ask for:
Most permits must be renewed every year or two.
Many ordinances cap guests by bedroom count, such as two guests per bedroom plus a small number more, with an overall maximum. Some also cap cars based on on-site parking spaces. Building and fire codes add their own limits based on bedroom size and exits. Check both before you set a maximum guest count on a listing.
Cities, counties and some states charge a lodging or transient occupancy tax on short stays, and some platforms collect it for you while others don't. Federal income tax has its own rule for occasional hosts. The IRS says that if you rent a home you also live in for fewer than 15 days a year, you don't report that rental income or deduct rental expenses.
Hosts renting their own home should also read Airbnb zoning for hosts. Accessory units have their own limits, covered in ADU zoning.
It's a property run mainly as a lodging business rather than as someone's home, such as a building with several units rented by the night. Many codes zone these like hotels or inns rather than as residential STRs.
Many cities ban some or all types in certain zones, though a few states limit how far local bans can go. Rules change often, so check the current ordinance.
Only with the landlord's permission in most cases, and some cities require the property owner to sign the permit application. Leases often prohibit subletting for short stays.