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Is Airbnb legal in Louisville, Kentucky?

Legal with registration, but investors face a conditional use permit. Louisville Metro requires an annual $250 registration with the Office of Planning and Design Services. If the property is not your primary residence, you also need a Conditional Use Permit, which costs $200 for pre-application plus $1,260 and takes about six months with a public hearing, plus a 600-foot buffer from other non-owner rentals.

Showing the researched rules for Louisville, KY below. Type your Louisville address to jump to the verdict.

Legal with permit

Legal with registration, but investors face a conditional use permit

Louisville Metro requires an annual $250 registration with the Office of Planning and Design Services. If the property is not your primary residence, you also need a Conditional Use Permit, which costs $200 for pre-application plus $1,260 and takes about six months with a public hearing, plus a 600-foot buffer from other non-owner rentals.

Permit and costs

Permit
Short-Term Rental Registration
Issued by
Louisville Metro Office of Planning and Design Services
Cost
$250 / year; non-owner-occupied adds a CUP ($200 pre-app + $1,260 application)
Renewal
Annual; renewals open 30 days before expiry

Key limits

CUP for investors
Non-primary-residence rentals need a Conditional Use Permit from the Board of Zoning Adjustment, a roughly six-month process with a public hearing.
Spacing
A property needing a conditional permit cannot sit within 600 feet, property line to property line, of another approved STR that required one.
Occupancy
No more than 12 adult occupants at a time.
Housing type
In residential and office-residential districts, STRs are limited to single-family houses and duplexes; condos need a CUP plus a board vote in favor.

Taxes

Transient room tax
8.5% city transient room tax
State taxes
6% Kentucky sales tax plus 1% state transient tax, collected by Airbnb

Registration checklist

  1. 1
    Get a tax number
    Register with the Louisville Metro Revenue Commission for a tax reporting number first, since the planning form assumes you have one.
  2. 2
    Register with Planning
    File the annual $250 registration with the Office of Planning and Design Services.
  3. 3
    Pursue the CUP if needed
    If the property is not your primary residence, start the conditional use permit process before counting on the deal.

What could change this verdict

Your HOA
HOA and condo rules can ban STRs regardless of the metro registration, and condo boards must vote in favor for condo units.
Rule changes
Small home-rule cities inside Jefferson County, including Anchorage and Jeffersontown, ban STRs entirely, so confirm the exact jurisdiction.

Sources

Louisville STR guide (2026) · Kentucky STR law overview

Rules researched October 2026. They change, so verify with the city before you buy.

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Verify before you buy. Rules change often and vary by zoning, HOA, and building type. This is a research starting point, not legal advice. Always confirm with the city's planning or business-license office before signing anything.