Airbnb Laws by State: Short-Term Rental Regulations (2026)

Quick Answer

Airbnb & Short-Term Rentals is legal in 35 states as of 2026. It's restricted with conditions in 15. Laws vary significantly — what's perfectly fine in one state can carry criminal penalties next door.

35 Legal

15 Restricted

0 Illegal

Last verified: April 2026 · About our research

Airbnb & Short-Term Rentals Legality Map

Legal

Restrictions

Illegal

Unverified

All 50 States

State	Status	Summary
Alabama	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Alabama. Birmingham has been actively working on a comprehensive short-term rental ordin...	Details →
Alaska	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Alaska. Anchorage implemented a mandatory registration for short-term rentals in the spr...	Details →
Arizona	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Arizona. Senate Bill 1168 (2022) granted cities more regulatory power. Hosts should veri...	Details →
Arkansas	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Arkansas. In 2023, Little Rock approved a new comprehensive ordinance for short-term ren...	Details →
California	RESTRICTED	Short-term rentals are legal in California but subject to local regulation. Senate Bill 60, which took effect in January...	Details →
Colorado	RESTRICTED	Short-term rentals are legal in Colorado but subject to local regulation. House Bill 23-1287, concerning county regulati...	Details →
Connecticut	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Connecticut. Public Act 23-43, effective in 2024, empowered municipalities to regulate s...	Details →
Delaware	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Delaware. Effective January 1, 2025, a new statewide short-term rental lodging tax of 4....	Details →
Florida	RESTRICTED	Short-term rentals are legal in Florida but subject to local regulation. While there have been ongoing legislative discu...	Details →
Georgia	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Georgia. In February 2024, Athens-Clarke County adopted new regulations for short-term r...	Details →
Hawaii	RESTRICTED	Short-term rentals are legal in Hawaii but subject to local regulation. In December 2025, Maui passed a bill to phase ou...	Details →
Idaho	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Idaho. In March 2026, the Idaho Legislature passed House Bill 583, which was signed into...	Details →
Illinois	RESTRICTED	Short-term rentals are legal in Illinois but subject to local regulation. In the 2025-2026 legislative session, bills su...	Details →
Indiana	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Indiana. Indianapolis passed a new ordinance in September 2024 requiring registration an...	Details →
Iowa	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Iowa. In the 2025-2026 legislative session, bills like HF2320 were introduced to clarify...	Details →
Kansas	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Kansas. Johnson County adopted new rules for unincorporated areas in March 2026. Hosts s...	Details →
Kentucky	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Kentucky. Lexington updated its ordinances in July 2023. Hosts should verify local ordin...	Details →
Louisiana	RESTRICTED	Short-term rentals are legal in Louisiana but subject to local regulation. The New Orleans STR landscape has been volati...	Details →
Maine	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Maine. In January 2026, the Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) adopted new rules requir...	Details →
Maryland	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Maryland. In the 2026 legislative session, several bills were introduced, including the ...	Details →
Massachusetts	RESTRICTED	Short-term rentals are legal in Massachusetts but subject to local regulation. No major statewide legislative changes ha...	Details →
Michigan	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Michigan. A Michigan Supreme Court ruling in September 2025 affirmed that a 'single fami...	Details →
Minnesota	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Minnesota. In September 2023, Mendota Heights passed a year-long moratorium on new short...	Details →
Mississippi	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Mississippi. In November 2025, Airbnb sued the city of Biloxi over its short-term rental...	Details →
Missouri	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Missouri. Enforcement is handled at the local level, with cities like St. Hosts should v...	Details →
Montana	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Montana. In September 2025, the Montana Supreme Court ruled that residential covenants p...	Details →
Nebraska	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Nebraska. There have been no major statewide legislative changes since the law authorizi...	Details →
Nevada	RESTRICTED	Short-term rentals are legal in Nevada but subject to local regulation. Clark County's strict 2022 ordinance has been in...	Details →
New Hampshire	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in New Hampshire. There has been ongoing debate and legal challenges regarding local contro...	Details →
New Jersey	RESTRICTED	Short-term rentals are legal in New Jersey but subject to local regulation. Newark began enforcing its new permit requir...	Details →
New Mexico	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in New Mexico. Las Cruces implemented new registration requirements effective January 1, 20...	Details →
New York	RESTRICTED	Short-term rentals are legal in New York but subject to local regulation. The most significant change was the full imple...	Details →
North Carolina	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in North Carolina. There has been significant legislative debate around state preemption of...	Details →
North Dakota	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in North Dakota. Bismarck approved and clarified its rules for short-term rentals in Octobe...	Details →
Ohio	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Ohio. There is an ongoing debate about state preemption of local regulations. Hosts shou...	Details →
Oklahoma	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Oklahoma. Oklahoma City has been actively working to strengthen its enforcement of STR r...	Details →
Oregon	RESTRICTED	Short-term rentals are legal in Oregon but subject to local regulation. In March 2026, a city report found Portland's en...	Details →
Pennsylvania	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Pennsylvania. In March 2026, House Bill 2303 was introduced to establish a statewide reg...	Details →
Rhode Island	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Rhode Island. Effective January 1, 2026, the local hotel tax on short-term rentals incre...	Details →
South Carolina	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in South Carolina. In March 2026, a court upheld Folly Beach's cap on STR permits. Hosts sh...	Details →
South Dakota	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in South Dakota. Rapid City adopted new regulations for short-term rentals in December 2025...	Details →
Tennessee	RESTRICTED	Short-term rentals are legal in Tennessee but subject to local regulation. An October 2023 Tennessee Supreme Court rulin...	Details →
Texas	RESTRICTED	Short-term rentals are legal in Texas but subject to local regulation. Houston's new STR ordinance, requiring registrati...	Details →
Utah	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Utah. In 2025, new state legislation (HB256) gave cities more power to crack down on unl...	Details →
Vermont	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Vermont. Effective August 1, 2024, a new 3% surcharge was added to short-term rental ren...	Details →
Virginia	RESTRICTED	Short-term rentals are legal in Virginia but subject to local regulation. In October 2025, Virginia Beach reinstated cri...	Details →
Washington	RESTRICTED	Short-term rentals are legal in Washington but subject to local regulation. In January 2026, a bill (HB 2559) was introd...	Details →
West Virginia	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in West Virginia. No major statewide changes to short-term rental specific laws have occurr...	Details →
Wisconsin	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Wisconsin. In March 2026, Green Bay approved new regulations to establish clearer enforc...	Details →
Wyoming	LEGAL	Short-term rentals are legal in Wyoming. A 2023 state law (HB0216) prohibited local governments from creating mandatory ...	Details →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is operating a short-term rental legal in the United States?

How many states allow airbnb & short-term rentals?

As of 2026, airbnb & short-term rentals is legal in 35 states, restricted with conditions in 15 states. Use the map and table on this page to check your specific state.

Can you travel across state lines with airbnb & short-term rentals?

Crossing state lines changes which laws apply. If airbnb & short-term rentals is legal in your home state but illegal in the state you're entering, you can face criminal charges the moment you cross the border. Always check the laws of every state on your route.