Short-term rentals in Black Jack, explained properly.

The definition of rental period says the time any same transient guest occupies the property shall not exceed thirty-one (31) continuous days, and the definition of transient guest excludes an occupant under a lease with a term over thirty-one consecutive days. The definition of short-term rental refers to Sections 110, 120, 130 and 140 of Appendix C for the residence districts.

Sec. 10-326(a)(1)d requires a one-time initial application fee of $200.00, payable by check to the City of Black Jack when the application is submitted. Sec. 10-326(a)(5) requires an annual registration fee of $100.00 per year after the initial application fee to stay on the short-term rental property registry. Sec. 10-326(a)(6) requires renewal every two years with a $50.00 application renewal fee. The fees are written in the article, whose history note cites Ord. No. 1108, § 1, 6-20-17; no separate fee schedule was fetched, so the current amounts should be confirmed with the City Clerk.

Sec. 10-325(b)(6) limits the number of transient guests to two (2) people per bedroom of the short-term rental property and says the property must be four (4) bedrooms or smaller.

The application names a local contact person, whose name, address, driver's license number and phone numbers are kept on file with the city clerk for three years after the end of any short-term rental (Sec. 10-326(a)(1)b-c). The owner posts the permit on the exterior of the property in plain view with the contact's phone number clearly visible (Sec. 10-326(a)(4)).

The posted permit must be between 8½ by 11 inches and 4 by 5 inches in size (Sec. 10-326(a)(4)).

Sec. 10-325(b)(7) requires listing or marketing on a publicly available facilitation platform. Sec. 10-326(a)(1)a requires the application to give the website address of the platform where the property is listed.

Sec. 10-326(b)(1) requires, before each rental period, each guest's name, age, permanent address, telephone number, vehicle license plate number and emergency contact; a formal acknowledgment of legal responsibility for compliance, including payment of applicable taxes; for guests under 18, an accompanying adult who signs an addendum in substantially the form of a waiver; and notice to the city clerk before the rental starts with a list of guest names and the expected duration. Records are kept three years and shown to City enforcement officers on request.

Sec. 10-326(a)(1)f. Sec. 10-326(b)(3) also lets the city clerk or designee impose additional conditions on the use and rental period of a short-term rental property to avoid or reduce secondary effects unique to that property.

The owner or local contact person must use reasonably prudent business practices so that guests do not create unreasonable noise or disturbances or violate laws, and must respond in a timely and appropriate manner when notified of a problem (Sec. 10-326(c)(1), (3)).

Sec. 10-326(b)(2).

Sec. 10-325(b)(2). The owner must also use reasonable, prudent business practices to keep the use lawful, including compliance with Sections 6-81, 6-82 and 6-227 of the Code (Sec. 10-325(b)(8)); those sections were not fetched.

Sec. 10-327(b), (e). Owners must give City officers access to the property and related records within 24 hours of a request during normal business hours (Sec. 10-327(a)). The City may also impose additional conditions on use under Appendix C or Chapter 10 (Sec. 10-327(c)).

Sec. 10-326(c)(4) makes failure of the owner or local contact person to respond in a timely and appropriate manner to calls or complaints grounds for revocation. Sec. 10-326(a)(2) makes false statements in the application grounds for denial, revocation or other penalties. Sec. 10-326(a)(3) denies an application if the owner has had a short-term rental property permit revoked within the past twelve (12) months for the same or another property, and issues no later permit to an owner whose permit has been revoked twice.

Section 144.020.1(6) of the Revised Statutes of Missouri imposes a tax equivalent to four percent on the amount of sales or charges for all rooms, meals and drinks furnished at any hotel, motel, tavern, inn, restaurant, eating house, drugstore, dining car, tourist cabin, tourist camp or other place in which rooms, meals or drinks are regularly served to the public. The Department of Revenue says the state sales and use tax is 4.225 percent in total, split among General Revenue (3.0 percent), Education (1.0 percent), Conservation (0.125 percent) and Parks/Soils (0.10 percent), and that cities, counties and special taxing districts may add their own sales taxes. The sources read do not say whether, or when, a privately owned home rented for short stays counts as a place in which rooms are regularly served to the public; check with the Department of Revenue. City and county taxes are shown on each place's page.

Section 144.752, in effect since January 1, 2023, requires marketplace facilitators that do business in Missouri to register with the Department of Revenue to collect and remit use tax on sales made through their marketplaces that are delivered into the state. The section's definition of a marketplace facilitator does not include a person with respect to the provision of travel agency services, which it defines as facilitating, for a commission, fee or other consideration, travel packages, travel reservations, tickets, or hotel or other lodging accommodations. The Department of Revenue pages read do not say whether booking platforms collect state sales tax on short-term rental stays; check with the platform and the Department of Revenue. City rules on platform collection of city taxes are shown on each place's page.

A word search of the Revised Statutes of Missouri found no section regulating the short-term rental of homes, so local rules apply. In the 2026 Regular Session, House Bill 1768 (combined with HB 2060), which modifies provisions relating to the classification of certain residential real property used for short-term rentals, was sent to the Senate, which adopted its own substitute; its last action, on May 15, 2026, was referral to the House Fiscal Review Committee, and the House bill page shows it was not truly agreed to and finally passed. In the 2025 Regular Session, House Bill 1086 on the same subject was last voted do pass by a Senate committee on May 1, 2025. A similar bill could be filed in a later session.