Do you need a permit to run an Airbnb in Louisville?

Yes. Louisville requires Short Term Rental Annual Registration, and the fee is $250. Louisville Metro requires every short-term rental to be registered annually with the Office of Planning ($250 per unit per year). In residential zones (and office-residential zones within traditional-neighborhood form districts) an STR must be the owner's primary residence unless the owner wins a discretionary Conditional Use Permit, which is subject to a 600-foot separation rule from other CUP STRs; most commercial and office zones allow any STR with registration only. Lodging taxes total 15.5% (6% state sales + 1% state transient room + 8.5% Metro transient room tax), largely collected by the booking platforms.

How much does a short-term rental permit cost in Louisville?

The Short Term Rental Annual Registration fee in Louisville is $250, renewed annual. Nonrefundable $250 fee with each annual registration form, per STR property (raised from $100 by the 2023 ordinance). If a Conditional Use Permit is required (non-primary-residence STRs in residential/OR-TN zones, or any STR in TNZD such as Old Louisville/Limerick), additional Planning fees apply: $200 pre-application fee plus a formal CUP application fee of $560 (owner-occupied) or $1,260 (non-owner-occupied).

How to get a short-term rental permit in Louisville, KY (2026)

Louisville requires Short Term Rental Annual Registration — the fee is $250, renewed annual. Here's how to get and keep it.

Permit at a glance

Permit required	Yes
Permit name	Short Term Rental Annual Registration
Permit fee	$250
Renewal	Annual

Step by step

1
Confirm your property is eligible
Louisville requires owner occupancy, so confirm you meet that condition. In residential districts (R-R, R-E, R-1 through R-5, U-N, R-5A, R-5B, R-6, R-7, R-8A) an STR is permitted with special standards only if it is the owner's primary residence (owner must have lived there 6+ months, proven with a Kentucky ID plus a second document); a non-primary-residence STR in those districts requires a Conditional Use Permit from the Board of Zoning Adjustment. OR/OR-1/OR-2 office-residential districts allow any STR unless inside a Traditional Neighborhood form district, where the primary-residence rule (or a CUP) applies. In TNZD (Old Louisville/Limerick) every STR needs a CUP. OR-3, OTF, C-N, C-R, C-1, C-2, C-3, C-M, EZ-1, W-1, W-2, PVD, PTD and PRD districts allow any STR with registration only. CUP STRs must be at least 600 feet from any other CUP STR (waiver criteria tightened in 2023; no waiver possible where the buffer is all-residential and 2+ CUP STRs already exist within 600 ft). The building must be a single-family residence or duplex unless commercially zoned. Max guest stay is 29 consecutive nights (30+ days is no longer an STR); occupancy is capped at 2x bedrooms + 2 persons (2x bedrooms + 6 on lots over two acres) with a maximum of 12 persons over age 16; one rental contract at a time; no outdoor STR signage in residential zones. Several small cities inside Jefferson County set their own rules (Anchorage, Douglass Hills, Graymoor-Devondale, Hurstbourne, Indian Hills, Jeffersontown, Prospect, Shively and St. Regis Park have adopted no STR regulations, so STRs are not permitted there; Lyndon, Middletown and St. Matthews have their own differing regulations).
2
Apply for the Short Term Rental Annual Registration
Submit the Short Term Rental Annual Registration application to Louisville and pay the $250 fee. Nonrefundable $250 fee with each annual registration form, per STR property (raised from $100 by the 2023 ordinance). If a Conditional Use Permit is required (non-primary-residence STRs in residential/OR-TN zones, or any STR in TNZD such as Old Louisville/Limerick), additional Planning fees apply: $200 pre-application fee plus a formal CUP application fee of $560 (owner-occupied) or $1,260 (non-owner-occupied).
3
Register for occupancy taxes
Register to collect and remit the applicable lodging/occupancy taxes for Louisville. Some are collected automatically by the booking platform and some you may need to remit yourself.
4
Renew on schedule
The permit renews annual — set a reminder so it never lapses, since operating on an expired permit typically triggers fines.

STR rules change without warning.

Get an email the moment Louisville changes its short-term rental rules — plus renewal reminders before your permit expires.

Watch Louisville for changes →

Free monthly digest · same-day alerts from $5/mo · cancel anytime

Keep going

Verified July 21, 2026. Informational only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Permit requirements and fees change; confirm current requirements with Louisville before applying.

Spot an error? Report an issue