Hosts, investors, lenders, governments and reporters rely on these rules, so every one has to be right and traceable. This page explains where our information comes from, what each status means, how we keep it current, how to report a mistake, and what we don’t cover.
LawfulStay tracks government-imposed regulations on short-term rentals (STRs) — defined as rentals of residential property for fewer than 30 nights. We cover the rules that apply to hosts operating on platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com.
A rule is published only when an official source supports it: the law, ordinance or code itself, or the government’s own page. Every place page names that official source and the date we last checked it. Links and full citations come with a paid plan. News and industry reports help us find changes, but they are never the source for a rule.
Marketing pages, listing site help centers, blog posts, user-generated content, forums, social media, or any source without clear attribution to a government decision. These are categorically excluded regardless of how frequently they appear in search results.
Place and region names: region (state, province) names for places outside the United States come from GeoNames, licensed under CC BY 4.0. They are used only to group places; the rules themselves come from the official sources above.
Rules change, sometimes with little notice. Every place is rechecked on a schedule, and we watch for new laws and changes in between.
Every place with rules on record has one of five statuses, based on the rules for renting a whole home for under 30 days. These are the same labels and counts as the coverage map.
Wondering why a place is Restricted or Banned? Why cities regulate short-term rentals explains the reasons governments give, from housing to neighborhood impact, and the rules each one produces.
Places that follow a wider area’s rules carry that area’s status, so they are counted in the five statuses too.
Banned — Stays under 30 days are prohibited in most or all of the place.
Restricted — Allowed, with material limits: a cap on nights or permits, a primary-residence rule, a ban in large parts of the place, a moratorium on new permits, or a minimum stay of 7 days or more.
Conditional — Allowed, but an authority can refuse: a permit that needs approval, a zoning or conditional-use decision, or a notice the town can reject.
Active — Allowed. The only duty is a notice, registration or license that nobody has to approve.
No rules — No short-term rental rules at all, confirmed by an official source. This is rare.
When two statuses fit, we use the stricter one.
Follows a wider area’s rules — We found no local rules, so the state’s or country’s rules apply and the place shows that area’s status.
Being researched — Not yet verified. LawfulStay has not confirmed this place’s short-term rental rules against official sources. Some of these records hold early research; check with the local government before relying on them.
STR regulations change frequently — sometimes with little notice. We cannot guarantee that every record is current at the exact moment you read it, but we do guarantee a documented process for maintaining accuracy:
Every record shows its status. Records marked Pending are still being researched: we have not yet confirmed their rules against official sources. The count above is taken live from the database, so it is always current.
Each jurisdiction page shows a last verified date. If that date is more than 60 days old, treat the data as a starting point and verify with the official source named on the page.
How to report a mistake:
Every report is checked. We change a record only when an official source confirms the correction, or at least two independent reports do. When we fix something, the page shows the new date it was checked.
Protecting the data: We monitor for unauthorized bulk copying of the database.
This database is an informational research tool. It is not a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney familiar with your specific situation, property, and local jurisdiction. STR enforcement varies significantly from what written regulations say, and rules change frequently. Always verify current requirements with your local government before operating.
State pre-emption is complex. In some US states, state law pre-empts local STR ordinances — meaning local rules may be unenforceable. We document local rules as written but do not adjudicate pre-emption disputes. Consult an attorney if pre-emption is relevant to your situation.
Enforcement ≠ written rules. Some jurisdictions have regulations on the books that are rarely enforced; others enforce rules more aggressively than written law suggests. We track written law only.
HOAs and leases are not covered. Even where STRs are legally permitted by government rules, HOA CC&Rs or lease clauses may prohibit them. These private agreements are entirely outside our scope.