Short-Term Rentals in Missoula County, MT

Missoula's short-term rental market splits along the same city/county line as its zoning: inside city limits, the City of Missoula runs a detailed licensing system with per-block density caps and spacing rules; outside city limits, a property falls under whichever citizen-initiated zoning district or county-wide rule actually applies to that parcel, with no single countywide short-term-rental ordinance to point to.

This page covers what's specific to Missoula County. For the general explanation, see the national guide.

Inside city limits: a real licensing system with density and spacing limits

The City of Missoula defines a short-term rental as any dwelling unit rented for less than 28 consecutive days to a guest whose principal residence is elsewhere, and a 'tourist home' as a unit used most of the time as a short-term rental with no one living there long-term. Operating one requires an annual rental business license and a separate Short-Term Rental Registration number, renewed each year by January 31; for 2026, a new registration runs $660 and a renewal $245, plus a 5% technology fee. As of December 5, 2024, hosting platforms including Airbnb and VRBO are required to verify that a listing displays a valid City of Missoula registration number before accepting a booking -- an unlicensed listing risks being pulled from the platform, not just fined by the city.

The city also caps density directly: no more than 15% of properties within a 300-foot radius of a proposed short-term rental can already be operating as short-term rentals, and a minimum 150-foot separation applies between short-term rental properties. Tourist homes in residential zoning districts additionally require a Neighbor Notification submitted as part of the application. Occupancy is generally capped at two guests per bedroom plus two additional guests, up to a maximum of 12 total occupants, and a public accommodations license through the Missoula City-County Health Department is required on top of the city rental license. Violations carry fines of $500 to $1,000 per day. Because Title 22, the city's new Unified Development Code (effective March 2026), reorganized zoning districts and uses citywide, confirm a specific address's short-term-rental eligibility -- including whether the 300-foot density cap is already saturated in that block -- directly with the city rather than assuming from a neighboring listing's history.

Outside city limits: no single county ordinance -- it depends on the parcel's zoning

Unincorporated Missoula County has no single, county-wide short-term-rental ordinance comparable to the city's. Instead, whether and how a short-term rental is permitted on a specific parcel depends on that parcel's actual zoning status under the county-wide 2022 Zoning Regulations or, if applicable, one of the 31 older citizen-initiated Part One districts described on the county hub -- and those districts vary widely in age, intent, and specificity, since each was petitioned into existence by a different group of neighboring landowners. A buyer planning a short-term rental on unincorporated county land should request a zoning verification letter from Missoula County Planning, Development and Sustainability for the specific parcel rather than assuming a use permitted on a nearby property, or inside the city, transfers to a rural parcel.

Regardless of city or county location, Montana state law still applies on top of any local rule: a short-term rental operator generally needs a state Public Accommodation License, and (as on other Montana county pages in this dataset) that license does not transfer between owners at a sale -- a new buyer of a 'turnkey' short-term rental must apply for their own license and, inside city limits, their own city registration number, rather than inheriting the seller's.

Short-Term Rental Rules in Missoula County, Montana

Inside city limits: a real licensing system with density and spacing limits

Outside city limits: no single county ordinance -- it depends on the parcel's zoning

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