Get a Short Term Rental Permit

Welcome to the City of Columbus Short-Term Rental website. Here you will find information about how to apply for a short-term rental permit, answers to frequently asked questions, and legislation for short-term rental regulations.

What is a short-term rental?

Basically, a short-term rental is a rental of all or a portion of your home for periods of less than 30 nights. Columbus is committed to working with residents to ensure that short-term rental activity respects neighborhood character, preserves housing supply, and complies with the City’s rules. The License Section of the Department of Public Safety is responsible for registering eligible hosts and for administering enforcement of the City's short-term rental regulations.

Resources

• Short-Term Rental Code 598 Requirements
• Short-Term Rental Application(PDF, 417KB)
• BCI Background Check Locations
• Non-Ohio Residence ONLY Background Procedures & Mail in Print Card(PDF, 406KB)
• Short Term Rental FAQs(PDF, 1MB)
• 1959-2021 Ordinance(PDF, 140KB)

NOTE: Please confirm your zoning location before applying using the below Zoning Map Link.

• Zoning Map of Columbus

If you are experiencing an issue with a short term rental in the City of Columbus please use 311 to document the situation and email ShortTermRentals@columbus.gov explaining the situation. A Licensing Officer will respond as appropriate.

For questions about short-term rental regulations or the application process, please email ShortTermRentals@columbus.gov.