Short-term rentals in Columbia, explained properly.

The application must give the name, address and contact number of a short-term rental designated agent within Boone County (Sec. 22-186(b)(2)g). The code defines the agent as an individual or management company with a physical location in Boone County that is available 24 hours a day to address any matter arising from the operation or use of the rental, with full responsibility and authority to act for the registrant in the registrant's absence. The agent need not be on site but must be able to respond from a location in Boone County to any health, safety or welfare concern (Sec. 22-183).

A licence is not issued unless the applicant gives the business license administrator a certificate of insurance prepared by the insurance company, which must include a provision requiring the City to be notified within 10 days of cancellation of the policy. Coverage must be maintained for as long as the licence is in effect (Sec. 13-260.7).

The application must include written consent authorizing the director to enter and inspect at any reasonable time (Sec. 22-186(b)(3)). It must also include a certificate signed by a journeyman or master HVAC mechanic licensed by the City stating that all fuel-fired appliances were personally inspected and are working properly and safely; the inspection must be within 90 days before the application is filed (original) or before the certificate expires (renewal). That certificate is treated as satisfied if the dwelling holds a valid long-term rental certificate (Sec. 22-186(b)(5)). If the director finds violations, the registrant is notified and must correct them (Sec. 22-187(b)(4)). The director may authorize a new structure with a certificate of occupancy issued within the prior three years to use its building inspection (Sec. 22-191(b)(1)). Refusing entry to a person holding a search warrant for an inspection is unlawful (Sec. 22-190).

Section 22-188(b) sets these fees; the fees are nonrefundable and are as the section stood after its latest amendment (Ord. No. 25734, 8-19-24). A single fee covers a long-term and a short-term certificate applied for at the same time (Sec. 22-185). An optional owner-requested inspection costs $70 (Sec. 22-188(c)). Fees unpaid for 60 days may go to a collection agency, at the debtor's cost (Sec. 22-188(e)).

Section 13-260.8 states that there is no business licence fee for a short-term rental under the division until July 1, 2026. That date has passed. The fee that applies now, and the schedule it comes from, are in the Chapter 13 licence provisions and the City's fee schedule, which we haven't reviewed yet; confirm the current fee with the City's business license office.

A short-term rental certificate of compliance is effective for five years from its date of issue, unless sooner revoked or the registrant no longer has authority to maintain the unit as a short-term rental, and is renewable every five years on forms from the director under the same procedure as the original certificate (Sec. 22-191(b)(1)). The registrant must also attest each year that the rental meets the City Code (Sec. 22-184(b)(3)).

The registrant must annually attest to meeting the requirements of the City Code, including Chapter 29 and Article V, on forms created by the director; failure to meet the Code, including failure to provide the attestation, may lead to revocation or suspension of the certificate (Sec. 22-184(b)(3)). The registrant or designated agent must provide the certificate immediately on request by a police officer, city inspector or city designated agent investigating a violation (Sec. 22-184(b)(2)).

A dwelling that has a certificate receives a permit number showing it is eligible for short-term rental use and listing on a short-term rental intermediary (platform). The director keeps a list of eligible rentals and makes it available to platforms, the public and regulators. It is unlawful for a property owner to list a dwelling on a platform without a valid permit number (Sec. 22-187(b)(3)). The application must list every website or medium where the dwelling will be advertised, and the owner may add to the list later (Sec. 22-186(b)(2)h).

Section 22-186(b)(2) lists what the registration application contains. Entities must name the officers or members the section lists, and at least one natural person with more than 10 percent ownership for each business entity. If the applicant is not the owner, the owner's identity and a notarized authorization are required. The applicant states the maximum number of nights per year the unit may be rented as a short-term rental; the maximum number is set on the application, and we haven't reviewed any limit the zoning code may set.

Sec. 22-195 makes a violation of the article a misdemeanor punished under Sec. 1-8 of the Code and allows the City to seek an injunction, mandamus or other relief; Sec. 13-260.9 does the same for the licence division. We haven't reviewed Sec. 1-8, so the fine and jail amounts are not shown. It is a defence to a prosecution under the article that the person requested and used reasonable efforts to get access to a rental under lease to another and was refused access by the occupant.

In addition to revocation for code violations after notice and hearing, the director may revoke a short-term rental certificate after receiving two or more substantiated complaints for violation of the City Code or any state or federal law against the rental in one calendar year, and must notify the platforms of a suspension or revocation (Sec. 22-193). A person whose certificate was revoked cannot obtain a new certificate for that dwelling unless the applicant receives a conditional use permit to re-establish the rental under Chapter 29 (Sec. 22-186(b)(1)). Knowingly false complaints are a misdemeanor (Sec. 22-194).

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.