The STR Strictness Index (2026): US Cities Ranked by Regulation Severity
Every covered US market scored 0–100 on how hard it is to legally operate a short-term rental — computed live from 70 human-verified rule sets covering bans, permits and fees, primary-residence rules, night caps, unit limits, and minimum stays. The full scoring formula is published below and the data is free to cite under CC BY 4.0.
Strictest 5
- 1.San Francisco, CA86
- 2.Asheville, NC84
- 3.Los Angeles, CA84
- 4.Washington, DC78
- 5.Las Vegas, NV75
Most lenient 5
- 1.Horry County, SC15
- 2.Gulf Shores, AL15
- 3.Dallas, TX15
- 4.Broken Bow, OK15
- 5.Camas, WA16
National average
34.2 / 100
Mean strictness score across 70 verified US markets.
Full ranking: 70 US cities by STR strictness score
| # | City | Score | Main drivers | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | 86 | primary residence$925 permit90-night capowner-occupancy | July 10, 2026 |
| 2 | Asheville, NC | 84 | primary residence$200 permitowner-occupancy1-unit max | July 10, 2026 |
| 3 | Los Angeles, CA | 84 | primary residence$441 permit120-night capowner-occupancy | July 10, 2026 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | 78 | primary residence$99 permit90-night capowner-occupancy | July 12, 2026 |
| 5 | Las Vegas, NV | 75 | primary residence$500 permitowner-occupancy1-unit max | July 10, 2026 |
| 6 | Charleston, SC | 72 | primary residence$345 permitowner-occupancy1-unit max | July 10, 2026 |
| 7 | Orlando, FL | 71 | primary residence$275 permitowner-occupancy1-unit max | July 10, 2026 |
| 8 | Denver, CO | 68 | primary residence$150 permitowner-occupancy1-unit max | July 10, 2026 |
| 9 | New York, NY | 68 | primary residence$145 permitowner-occupancy1-unit max | July 10, 2026 |
| 10 | Portland, OR | 63 | primary residence$400 permit1-unit max | July 12, 2026 |
| 11 | Boston, MA | 59 | primary residence$200 permitowner-occupancy | July 10, 2026 |
| 12 | Clark County, NV | 55 | $750 permit1-unit max2-night min stay | July 12, 2026 |
| 13 | Maui County, HI | 50 | $1,916 permit1-unit max | July 12, 2026 |
| 14 | New Orleans, LA | 50 | $500 permit1-unit max | July 10, 2026 |
| 15 | Palm Springs, CA | 50 | $1,046 permit1-unit max | July 10, 2026 |
| 16 | Honolulu, HI | 45 | $1,000 permit30-night min stay | July 10, 2026 |
| 17 | Monroe County, FL | 45 | $490 permit28-night min stay | July 12, 2026 |
| 18 | Breckenridge, CO | 40 | $756 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 19 | San Diego, CA | 40 | $1,170 permit1-unit max2-night min stay | July 10, 2026 |
| 20 | Virginia Beach, VA | 40 | $500 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 21 | Savannah, GA | 38 | $400 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 22 | Summit County, CO | 37 | $360 permit | July 12, 2026 |
| 23 | Steamboat Springs, CO | 37 | $350 permit | July 12, 2026 |
| 24 | Moab, UT | 35 | $250 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 25 | Hot Springs, AR | 34 | $200 permit | July 12, 2026 |
| 26 | Traverse City, MI | 34 | $200 permit | July 13, 2026 |
| 27 | Kissimmee, FL | 31 | $50 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 28 | St. George, UT | 31 | $50 permit | July 13, 2026 |
| 29 | Osceola County, FL | 31 | $30 permit | July 12, 2026 |
| 30 | Miami, FL | 30 | permit required | July 10, 2026 |
| 31 | Miami Beach, FL | 30 | permit required | July 10, 2026 |
| 32 | Myrtle Beach, SC | 30 | permit required | July 10, 2026 |
| 33 | Atlanta, GA | 28 | $150 permitowner-occupancy | July 10, 2026 |
| 34 | Austin, TX | 25 | $836.30 permit | July 12, 2026 |
| 35 | Big Bear Lake, CA | 25 | $635 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 36 | Chicago, IL | 25 | $250 permit2-night min stay | July 10, 2026 |
| 37 | Destin, FL | 25 | $500 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 38 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 25 | $880 permit | July 13, 2026 |
| 39 | Riverside County, CA | 25 | $740 permit | July 12, 2026 |
| 40 | San Bernardino County, CA | 25 | $1,144 permit | July 12, 2026 |
| 41 | South Lake Tahoe, CA | 25 | $548 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 42 | Yucca Valley, CA | 25 | $973 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 43 | Nashville, TN | 21 | $313 permit | July 12, 2026 |
| 44 | Fredericksburg, TX | 21 | $300 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 45 | Pigeon Forge, TN | 21 | $300 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 46 | San Antonio, TX | 21 | $300 permit | July 13, 2026 |
| 47 | Walton County, FL | 21 | $300 permit | July 12, 2026 |
| 48 | Houston, TX | 21 | $275 permit | July 12, 2026 |
| 49 | Galveston, TX | 20 | $250 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 50 | Panama City Beach, FL | 20 | $250 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 51 | Phoenix, AZ | 20 | $250 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 52 | Scottsdale, AZ | 20 | $250 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 53 | Sevier County, TN | 20 | $250 permit | July 12, 2026 |
| 54 | Vancouver, WA | 20 | $250 permit | July 12, 2026 |
| 55 | Ocean City, MD | 20 | $246 permit | July 13, 2026 |
| 56 | Sedona, AZ | 19 | $210 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 57 | Gatlinburg, TN | 19 | $200 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 58 | Tampa, FL | 18 | $170 permit | July 13, 2026 |
| 59 | Branson, MO | 18 | $150 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 60 | Hilton Head Island, SC | 18 | $150 permit | July 12, 2026 |
| 61 | Philadelphia, PA | 18 | $150 permit | July 12, 2026 |
| 62 | Park City, UT | 18 | $149 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 63 | Cape May, NJ | 18 | $125 permit | July 13, 2026 |
| 64 | Stowe, VT | 17 | $100 permit | July 13, 2026 |
| 65 | Seattle, WA | 17 | $75 permit | July 12, 2026 |
| 66 | Camas, WA | 16 | $50 permit | July 10, 2026 |
| 67 | Broken Bow, OK | 15 | no major restrictions | July 10, 2026 |
| 68 | Dallas, TX | 15 | permit required | July 12, 2026 |
| 69 | Gulf Shores, AL | 15 | permit required | July 10, 2026 |
| 70 | Horry County, SC | 15 | permit required | July 12, 2026 |
Methodology
Every score is computed from the same structured, human-verified rule set that powers each city's page — no editorial judgment per city, just the formula below applied uniformly. Only markets whose rules have been verified against official sources are scored; cities whose legal status is unknown are excluded. Scores recompute automatically whenever a rule set is re-verified.
| Rule component | Points |
|---|---|
| Short-term rentals banned | 100 (fixed) |
| Effectively banned | 90 (fixed) |
| “Restricted” legal status | +15 |
| Primary-residence-only rule | +30 |
| Permit or registration required | +15 |
| Permit fee (scaled) | +10 × min(fee ÷ $500, 1) |
| Annual night cap (scaled) | +15 × (1 − cap ÷ 365) |
| Owner-occupancy required | +10 |
| Max 1 STR unit per owner | +10 |
| Minimum stay of 2+ nights | +5 |
| Total | capped at 100 |
Banned and effectively-banned markets take their fixed score and no additional points, since further restrictions are moot. The permit-fee component reaches its full 10 points at a $500 fee; the night-cap component awards more points the lower the cap (a 90-night cap earns more than a 180-night cap). Displayed scores are rounded to the nearest whole number; ties are broken alphabetically. See our data methodology for how the underlying rules are sourced and verified. Informational only — not legal, tax, or financial advice.
Cite this index
The STR Strictness Index is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license. You're welcome to quote, chart, or republish the scores — including in news coverage — with attribution to STR Rule Watch and a link to this page.
“The STR Strictness Index (2026),” the STR Rule Watch research team, https://shortrentalrules.com/data/str-strictness-index
Journalists: for a state or city-specific cut of the data, or comment on a local ordinance, see our press page.
Frequently asked questions
›How is the STR Strictness Index score calculated?
Each city gets a 0–100 score computed from its verified rules. Outright bans score a fixed 100 and effective bans 90. Otherwise points add up: +30 for primary-residence-only rules, +15 for a required permit, up to +10 scaled by the permit fee (full points at $500+), up to +15 scaled by how low an annual night cap is, +10 for owner-occupancy requirements, +10 for a one-unit-per-owner limit, +15 for a "restricted" legal status, and +5 for a 2+ night minimum stay, capped at 100. The full weight table is published in the methodology section on this page.
›What is the strictest city for short-term rentals in the US?
Among the 70 verified markets in this index, San Francisco, CA currently ranks strictest with a score of 86 out of 100 (primary residence, $925 permit, 90-night cap, owner-occupancy, 1-unit max). Rankings shift as cities change their ordinances — this page recomputes automatically as rules are re-verified.
›Can I cite or republish the STR Strictness Index?
Yes. The index is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license: you may quote, chart, or republish the scores — including in news articles — as long as you credit STR Rule Watch and link to https://shortrentalrules.com/data/str-strictness-index. See the "Cite this index" section on this page for a ready-made citation.