Vacohost

    Kentucky

    Louisville Metro, Kentucky short-term rental rules

    Overview

    Louisville Metro registers every short-term rental in Jefferson County, and the sharp edge is zoning: an owner-occupied rental in a residential zone needs registration only, while a non-owner-occupied one needs a discretionary conditional use permit with a spacing requirement. Several small cities inside the county have no short-term rental rules at all, which means short-term rental is not permitted there.

    Areas covered: Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government area, Not the small independent cities inside Jefferson County, which set their own rules · Last verified

    Not legal advice

    VacoHost is not a law firm and does not verify compliance on an owner’s behalf. Every requirement below is quoted in plain English from the official document cited beside it, and rules change between our reviews — verify directly with the jurisdiction before acting.

    Verified requirements for Louisville Metro, Kentucky

    Each item below was read from the official document cited with it. Nothing here is generic guidance.

    1. Annual registration required

      Every short-term rental in Jefferson County must register annually with Planning and Design Services. A short-term rental is a dwelling rented for fewer than 30 consecutive days.

      Source: Louisville Metro Code of Ordinances — §§ 115.515–115.517 (opens in a new tab) · § 115.515; § 115.516 · Verified

    2. Conditional use permit for non-owner-occupied rentals

      In residential and office-residential zones, a non-owner-occupied short-term rental requires a conditional use permit in addition to registration, and the permit requires at least 600 feet of separation from another permitted short-term rental. Old Louisville and Limerick require a conditional use permit even when owner-occupied.

      Source: Louisville Metro — Short Term Rental Information (opens in a new tab) · Verified

    3. Registration fee and renewal

      Registration costs $250, is non-refundable, renews annually, and a new registration is required when ownership or the host changes or the primary-residency basis is lost.

      Source: Louisville Metro Code of Ordinances (opens in a new tab) · § 115.517 · Verified

    4. Life-safety equipment

      Hosts must provide smoke alarms, a carbon monoxide detector, a fire extinguisher on each floor, emergency egress, and a posted evacuation plan.

      Source: Louisville Metro Code of Ordinances (opens in a new tab) · § 115.520(A) · Verified

    5. Registration number in every listing

      The registration number must appear in any hosting-platform advertisement, and advertising an unregistered rental carries an additional daily fine.

      Source: Louisville Metro Code of Ordinances (opens in a new tab) · § 115.520(E); § 115.521 · Verified

    6. Transient room tax registration

      Hosts must register with the Louisville Metro Revenue Commission for transient room tax and occupational licence tax.

      Source: Louisville Metro Code of Ordinances (opens in a new tab) · § 115.519 · Verified

    7. Escalating fines and revocation

      Fines escalate at $125, $250, $500, and $1,000 per offence. Registration is revoked after two substantiated violations in twelve months, and revocation bars a new registration for a calendar year.

      Source: Louisville Metro — Short Term Rental Information (opens in a new tab) · § 115.516(A)–(E) and published enforcement schedule · Verified

    Regulation research score

    How much short-term-rental-specific rule-making we have confirmed from cited official sources for Louisville Metro, Kentucky, scored against 12 criteria worth 29 points. It is not a legal conclusion, a permissiveness rating, a market rating, or investment advice — a higher or lower score does not mean a place is better or worse to operate in.

    Moderately high regulatory burden· 16/29 pts

    A substantial confirmed rule set, usually permitting plus several operating restrictions.

    Score
    16 of 29 rubric points · Extensive confirmed requirements (7 of 12)
    Evidence coverage
    substantial · 7 of 12 criteria resolved
    Last reviewed

    7 of 12 rubric criteria resolved against cited official sources.

    What produced this score

    • Owner-occupancy or primary residence+4
    • Zoning limits, caps, density or spacing+4
    • Permit, licence, or registration+3
    • Enforcement and penalties+2
    • Lodging tax or fees+1
    • Renewal or transfer+1
    • Advertising and listing rules+1

    The rubric

    • Prohibition or severe eligibility limitNot confirmed

      Does an official source prohibit short-term rentals outright, or restrict eligibility so narrowly that most properties cannot qualify?

      Unknown. We have not found an official source either way, so this criterion is not scored in any direction — confirm it with the jurisdiction.

    • Owner-occupancy or primary residenceConfirmed — applies

      Does an official source require the owner to occupy the property or hold it as a primary residence?

    • Zoning limits, caps, density or spacingConfirmed — applies

      Does an official source restrict which zones short-term rentals may operate in, or cap, space, or ration how many may exist?

    • Minimum or maximum stayNot confirmed

      Does an official source set a minimum night requirement or a maximum rental term?

      Unknown. We have not found an official source either way, so this criterion is not scored in any direction — confirm it with the jurisdiction.

    • Permit, licence, or registrationConfirmed — applies

      Does an official source require a permit, licence, certificate, or registration before the property is advertised?

    • Inspection or life-safety certificationNot confirmed

      Does an official source require an inspection, fire or building certification, or posted safety information?

      Unknown. We have not found an official source either way, so this criterion is not scored in any direction — confirm it with the jurisdiction.

    • Occupancy and parkingNot confirmed

      Does an official source set an occupancy limit or an on-site parking requirement?

      Unknown. We have not found an official source either way, so this criterion is not scored in any direction — confirm it with the jurisdiction.

    • Enforcement and penaltiesConfirmed — applies

      Does an official source publish penalties, suspension, revocation, or a complaint process for violations?

    • Local responsible partyNot confirmed

      Does an official source require a named local contact who must respond within a set time?

      Unknown. We have not found an official source either way, so this criterion is not scored in any direction — confirm it with the jurisdiction.

    • Lodging tax or feesConfirmed — applies

      Does an official source impose a lodging, excise, or permit fee obligation on the operator?

    • Renewal or transferConfirmed — applies

      Does an official source set a renewal cycle, or restrict transfer of the permit on sale?

    • Advertising and listing rulesConfirmed — applies

      Does an official source govern how the property may be advertised — for example requiring the permit number in every listing?

    How the band is set: fewer than four resolved criteria stays unscored and grey; otherwise 20+ points reads high regulatory burden, 13–19 moderately high, 7–12 moderate / structured, 1–6 lower, and zero confirmed requirements reads “no local STR-specific regulation found” — which is not a statement that operating here is unrestricted, legal, or low-risk. Unconfirmed criteria never count as permissive. How to confirm the rest yourself.

    Who to ask in Louisville Metro, Kentucky

    Department-level contact details as published on the jurisdiction’s own website. We do not publish individual staff contact information.

    General research checklist (not Louisville Metro, Kentucky specific)

    These are the categories short-term rental owners check anywhere in the US. They are general prompts, not this jurisdiction’s ordinance.

    Occupancy limits
    Most jurisdictions tie maximum overnight occupancy to bedroom count, septic capacity, or a fixed cap. Confirm the current figure for your specific parcel with Louisville Metro before advertising a sleeping capacity.
    Parking
    On-site parking counts and prohibitions on street or shoulder parking are among the most commonly enforced short-term rental provisions. Verify the required count with Louisville Metro and state it plainly in your listing.
    Life-safety requirements
    Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers, egress, and posted evacuation information are typical requirements. Some jurisdictions inspect; others self-certify. Verify which applies.
    Local responsible party
    Many ordinances require a named local contact who can respond to the property within a set time. Confirm whether a contact is required, what response window applies, and how it must be filed with Louisville Metro.
    Renewal and enforcement
    Registrations and permits generally renew on a fixed cycle, and enforcement is usually complaint-driven with escalating penalties. Confirm the renewal date, fee, and enforcement process with Louisville Metro.
    Lodging and sales tax
    State and local lodging or occupancy taxes may be collected by the booking platform, by you, or split. Confirm current collection responsibility with both the taxing authority and your platform — platform collection agreements change.

    Confirm these directly — we could not verify them

    We publish gaps rather than guesses. The following were not confirmable from a current official source at our last review.

    • Needs confirmation — whether your parcel sits inside one of Jefferson County's small independent cities. Several have adopted no short-term rental rules, which means the use is not permitted there, and others such as Lyndon, Middletown, and St. Matthews have their own separate rules.
    • Needs confirmation — occupancy caps, parking counts, and any minimum-stay requirement.
    • Needs confirmation — current conditional use permit filing fee and hearing timeline.

    Official sources

    Government sources only. If a link has moved, go to the jurisdiction’s main site and search for short-term or vacation rentals.

    Change log

    • — Entry created from the Metro code (Ord. 217-2015 as amended through Ord. 130-2023) and the official planning page.

    Operating a rental here?

    Compliance is the owner’s responsibility in every model, including ours. What a co-host can do is keep the listing, messaging, and pricing consistent with the rules you confirm.

    Compare management costs

    Nearby jurisdictions

    Found a change in Louisville Metro, Kentucky?

    Send the official link and we'll re-verify this entry. We'd rather correct it than leave a stale requirement up.

    go@vacohost.com