STR Rule Watch

Best STR compliance tools for hosts (2026)

The short-term rental “compliance software” results are mostly property-management suites and city-side enforcement vendors. This is an honest, host-facing rundown of the tools that actually help you answer is my rental legal and how do I stay compliant — what each is best for, and where it falls short. Competitor details were verified July 13, 2026.

  1. #1

    STR Rule Watch

    Best for: Hosts and investors who need verified, current rules — is it legal, what permit, what tax — across many markets

    Coverage
    98 US markets (60 cities, 10 counties, 28 statewide summaries) across 29 states, each field human-verified against official sources with a per-page 'last verified' date
    Pricing
    Free tier; Host $5/mo; Pro $39/mo
    Strength
    Every rule is human-verified from a cited official source and carries a real, per-page last-verified date
    Watch-out
    Focused on rules and compliance — it doesn't estimate revenue or file your taxes for you
  2. #2

    STRWatch

    Best for: STRWatch's in-app 48-hour alert cadence and its white-label/API Agency tier are real features; if you specifically need agency white-labelling, weigh that directly.

    Coverage
    31 claimed markets, monitoring 130+ government sources
    Pricing
    Free tier; Pro ~$29/mo (45-day trial); Agency ~$99/mo (white-label + API)
    Strength
    48-hour change alerts across 130+ government sources
    Watch-out
    As observed 2026-07-13, its entire crawlable site is ~10 URLs — there are no individual city landing pages for the other 27 claimed markets, so they can't rank or be cited
    STR Rule Watch vs STRWatch →Visit STRWatch
  3. #3

    RentPermit

    Best for: RentPermit's renewal-tracker UX (night-cap counter, iCal, document vault) is polished and purpose-built; if a deadline tracker for one of its 11 cities is all you need, it does that one job well.

    Coverage
    11 cities
    Pricing
    ~$19/mo
    Strength
    A focused permit-renewal tracker with 60/30/7-day reminders
    Watch-out
    Only 11 cities as observed 2026-07-13 (Austin, Nashville, Denver, Portland, NYC, LA, Chicago, Houston, San Antonio, Miami, Palm Springs)
    STR Rule Watch vs RentPermit →Visit RentPermit
  4. #4

    PropertyZoned

    Best for: PropertyZoned's zoning-first framing and broad metro list are a fine first-pass gut check on whether a market is worth researching.

    Coverage
    ~100 metros, city-level
    Pricing
    Lookup tool
    Strength
    It popularized the 'can I short-term-rent this address' question format
    Watch-out
    As observed 2026-07-13, its pages sit behind a bot-challenge that blocks Bing and AI crawlers, forfeiting non-Google visibility
    STR Rule Watch vs PropertyZoned →Visit PropertyZoned
  5. #5

    Comparent

    Best for: Comparent's raw market count dwarfs ours — if you need a bare pointer for an obscure town no one else lists, it may have an entry.

    Coverage
    ~5,115 markets (cities + counties)
    Pricing
    Directory
    Strength
    By far the widest raw coverage — roughly 5,115 markets across all 50 states
    Watch-out
    As observed 2026-07-13, it applies uniform bulk 'last modified' dates (e.g. all 561 California URLs stamped the same day) rather than per-market verification dates
    STR Rule Watch vs Comparent →Visit Comparent
  6. #6

    Avalara MyLodgeTax

    Best for: If you want someone to actually file and remit your lodging taxes each period, MyLodgeTax does that end-to-end — which STR Rule Watch does not; we tell you the rates and rules, we don't file for you.

    Coverage
    11,000+ tax jurisdictions
    Pricing
    Starter ~$27/mo per property + ~$299 setup fee
    Strength
    Automated lodging-tax calculation, filing, and remittance across 11,000+ jurisdictions
    Watch-out
    It's a paid, per-property tax-filing service — $27/mo per property plus a ~$299 setup fee, with pricing above Starter hidden behind quotes
    STR Rule Watch vs Avalara MyLodgeTax →Visit Avalara MyLodgeTax
  7. #7

    AirDNA

    Best for: AirDNA is the category standard for revenue and market performance data — a job STR Rule Watch doesn't do at all. Use AirDNA for 'how much will it earn', use us for 'is it legal and what are the rules'.

    Coverage
    120,000+ markets (revenue data)
    Pricing
    ~$12–60/mo by market size
    Strength
    Deep revenue, occupancy, and ADR estimates for investment underwriting
    Watch-out
    Its regulation signal is an algorithmic 'Market Score' input inferred from host behavior plus licensed zoning data — not a verified, primary-source rules database
    STR Rule Watch vs AirDNA →Visit AirDNA

Start with the rules for your market

Look up verified, dated short-term rental regulations for any covered US market — free.

Browse STR laws by state

Pricing and features change — confirm current details on each vendor’s site. Informational only; not legal, tax, or financial advice.