Short-Term Rental Regulations by State: All 50 States + DC Ranked
Short-term rental regulations vary enormously across the United States. Currently, 12 states have minimal restrictions, 15 have light restrictions, 19 have moderate restrictions, and 5 have heavy or very heavy restrictions. 19 states require some form of STR registration, and 10 require a specific license or permit. This ranking shows every state's STR regulation level from most STR-friendly to most restrictive. Click any state for city-level details.
All States Ranked by STR-Friendliness
The table below ranks every US state and the District of Columbia by STR regulation level from most friendly to most restrictive. The restriction level reflects state-level regulations; individual cities may be more or less restrictive than their state.
| # | State | Restriction Level | Registration | License | Primary Res. Only | Night Cap | Platform Tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama (AL) | Minimal | No | No | No | -- | No |
| 2 | Alaska (AK) | Minimal | No | No | No | -- | No |
| 3 | Arkansas (AR) | Minimal | No | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 4 | Indiana (IN) | Minimal | No | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 5 | Kansas (KS) | Minimal | No | No | No | -- | No |
| 6 | Mississippi (MS) | Minimal | No | No | No | -- | No |
| 7 | Nebraska (NE) | Minimal | No | No | No | -- | No |
| 8 | North Dakota (ND) | Minimal | No | No | No | -- | No |
| 9 | Oklahoma (OK) | Minimal | No | No | No | -- | No |
| 10 | South Dakota (SD) | Minimal | No | No | No | -- | No |
| 11 | West Virginia (WV) | Minimal | No | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 12 | Wyoming (WY) | Minimal | No | No | No | -- | No |
| 13 | Arizona (AZ) | Light | Yes | Yes | No | -- | Yes |
| 14 | Connecticut (CT) | Light | Yes | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 15 | Delaware (DE) | Light | No | Yes | No | -- | No |
| 16 | Idaho (ID) | Light | No | No | No | -- | No |
| 17 | Iowa (IA) | Light | No | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 18 | Kentucky (KY) | Light | No | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 19 | Missouri (MO) | Light | No | No | No | -- | No |
| 20 | Montana (MT) | Light | Yes | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 21 | New Hampshire (NH) | Light | Yes | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 22 | North Carolina (NC) | Light | No | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 23 | Ohio (OH) | Light | No | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 24 | Pennsylvania (PA) | Light | No | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 25 | South Carolina (SC) | Light | No | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 26 | Tennessee (TN) | Light | No | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 27 | Utah (UT) | Light | Yes | Yes | No | -- | Yes |
| 28 | Colorado (CO) | Moderate | No | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 29 | Florida (FL) | Moderate | Yes | Yes | No | -- | Yes |
| 30 | Georgia (GA) | Moderate | No | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 31 | Illinois (IL) | Moderate | No | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 32 | Louisiana (LA) | Moderate | Yes | Yes | No | -- | Yes |
| 33 | Maine (ME) | Moderate | Yes | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 34 | Maryland (MD) | Moderate | No | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 35 | Michigan (MI) | Moderate | No | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 36 | Minnesota (MN) | Moderate | No | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 37 | Nevada (NV) | Moderate | No | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 38 | New Jersey (NJ) | Moderate | Yes | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 39 | New Mexico (NM) | Moderate | No | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 40 | Oregon (OR) | Moderate | Yes | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 41 | Rhode Island (RI) | Moderate | Yes | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 42 | Texas (TX) | Moderate | No | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 43 | Vermont (VT) | Moderate | Yes | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 44 | Virginia (VA) | Moderate | Yes | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 45 | Washington (WA) | Moderate | Yes | No | No | -- | Yes |
| 46 | Wisconsin (WI) | Moderate | Yes | Yes | No | -- | Yes |
| 47 | California (CA) | Heavy | No | No | No | -- | No |
| 48 | District of Columbia (DC) | Heavy | Yes | Yes | Yes | 90/yr | Yes |
| 49 | Hawaii (HI) | Heavy | Yes | Yes | No | -- | Yes |
| 50 | Massachusetts (MA) | Heavy | Yes | Yes | No | -- | Yes |
| 51 | New York (NY) | Heavy | Yes | Yes | No | -- | Yes |
Regional STR Regulation Patterns
The South and Central Plains: Most STR-Friendly
The most STR-friendly states tend to be in the South and Central Plains. Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming have minimal regulation, typically limited to tax collection. Many of these states have no statewide STR-specific laws, and local regulation is sparse. Indiana stands out for its state preemption law that explicitly prevents cities from banning STRs.
Coastal States and Major Cities: Most Restrictive
The most restrictive STR environments are found in coastal states with expensive housing markets. New York, California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts have enacted significant state-level regulations, and their major cities (NYC, San Francisco, Honolulu, Boston) layer on additional restrictions including primary residence requirements, night caps, and host presence mandates. These regulations are driven largely by housing affordability concerns and competition with the hotel industry.
Mountain West and the Midwest: Moderate and Mixed
Mountain West states like Colorado, Montana, and Utah fall in the moderate range. They generally require registration and tax collection but do not impose blanket bans or extreme restrictions at the state level. However, resort towns like Breckenridge, Park City, and Bozeman have enacted their own rules due to housing pressure from vacation rentals. The Midwest is similarly mixed, with states like Wisconsin requiring a tourism license while others like Iowa have minimal oversight.
About This Data
STR regulation data in our database is sourced from state legislation, municipal ordinances, and state agency publications. Restriction levels are assessed based on the cumulative impact of state-level regulations including registration requirements, licensing, night caps, primary residence rules, host presence mandates, insurance requirements, safety inspections, and platform accountability laws. Individual cities may be more or less restrictive than their state's overall rating.
Regulations change frequently as new laws are passed and existing ordinances are updated. We strive to keep our data current, but you should always verify requirements with your local government before listing a property. Use our lookup tool to find the specific regulations for your city, or check individual state pages for detailed breakdowns.