Short-term rentals in Independence, explained properly.

Sec. 14-424-15 says short-term rental permits are not transferable to another operator, owner or location. If a property with an approved short-term rental is sold or transferred to any other person, a new Short-Term Rental Permit is required.

Sec. 14-424-23-A covers applications in non-residential buildings in commercial districts: the Community Development Director coordinates review with the Development Review Committee and may approve if the applicant presents clear and convincing evidence of conformity; appeals go to the Planning Commission within 15 calendar days and then to the City Council. Sec. 14-424-23-B covers residential districts and residential buildings in non-residential districts: after review by City officials the Department mails notice of the required public hearing to property owners within 185 feet, 15 days before the hearing, and the applicant posts a City-furnished sign. The Planning Commission approves, approves with conditions or denies and may set operating requirements; an applicant may appeal to the City Council within five business days. A legal protest signed by owners of 25 percent or more of the land within 185 feet, filed no later than 24 hours before the meeting, makes the Commission action a recommendation only, and the application then becomes effective only by the favorable vote of five of all the members of the City Council.

Sec. 14-424-21 requires all short-term rentals to obtain a rental ready inspection before renewal of the annual business license, beginning July 1, 2020. A valid rental unit inspection is submitted in the form and manner the City prescribes as part of the renewal, and any rental dwelling that has been inspected for any reason may submit that report if it is not older than 12 months.

Sec. 14-424-04 requires compliance with Article 3, Chapter 5 of the City Code. The applicant must show that the City has a voluntary collection agreement with any web platform where the property will be listed; if the City has none for a platform, the owner must enter a separate agreement with the City to collect and remit the taxes before listing on that platform. The tax rate is set in Article 3 of Chapter 5, which is not shown here, and this page does not total state and City taxes.

Sec. 14-424-14 requires operators to maintain liability insurance appropriate to the short-term rental use of not less than $1,000,000 in the aggregate, or to conduct each short-term rental transaction through a platform that provides equal or greater insurance coverage.

Sec. 14-424-07 allows no more than two guests per bedroom per guest stay, excluding children five years old and under, with a total maximum occupancy of ten occupants, which includes adults and children.

Sec. 14-424-09 requires each owner to designate a person or company as Responsible Agent, who may be the owner. The agent must be located within an hour's drive of Independence, have access and authority to assume management of the unit and take remedial measures, be available 24 hours a day seven days a week, and affirmatively respond to complaints within an hour of notification. Changes to the agent's name, address or telephone numbers go to the City within five business days.

Sec. 14-424-10 prohibits hosting weddings, banquets, parties, charitable fundraising or other similar gatherings. Small, informal noncommercial gatherings of family and friends of short-term rental guests are permitted, provided the gathering is not a disturbance to the surrounding neighborhood, including parking or noise issues.

Sec. 14-424-11 says a short-term rental shall not be rented to more than one booking party at a time.

Sec. 14-424-13 prohibits the short-term rental operator from providing food, light snacks or other food or meals to guests.

Sec. 14-424-17 requires every short-term rental to maintain a noise management plan that includes continuous operation of noise monitoring device(s) while the registered property is rented. The quiet hours and the penalties for violating the City noise ordinance must be posted in a prominent location inside the rental. The quiet hours themselves are set in the City noise ordinance, which is not shown here.

Sec. 14-424-18 requires off-street parking under Section 14-501-05 and allows a credit of one space for every 18 feet of lot frontage. All required parking must be on an approved driveway and adjoining asphalt or concrete pads, or other designated, approved parking areas. Parking on other than asphalt, concrete, paver stones, brick or other hard durable surface, as determined by the Community Development Director, is expressly prohibited. The parking count in Section 14-501-05 is not shown here.

Sec. 14-424-19 requires refuse collection services from a collector licensed to operate within the City and a trash disposal and collection plan so that containers are not left outdoors in violation of City Code.

Sec. 14-424-20 requires a map identifying escape routes and emergency contact information for the owner or manager to be provided to each guest and posted in each guest room, carbon monoxide detection as required by code, child-proofed electrical outlets, fire extinguishers as required by code and smoke detectors as required by code. Sec. 14-424-16 requires the City's Good Neighbor Guidelines, the maximum permitted occupancy, evacuation plan, parking plan, trash disposal plan, noise management plan, Responsible Agent name and contact information, the street address and the short-term rental license number to be posted in a prominent location in the dwelling.

Sec. 14-424-24 makes it unlawful to violate or fail to comply with any requirement of the section and subjects violators to the violation, penalty and enforcement provisions of Section 14-801, which was not in the pages read for this page.

Sec. 14-424-25 allows suspension or revocation in addition to any fine. Notice of the hearing is mailed at least 14 calendar days before the Planning Commission hearing. The Commission considers the seriousness of the violation, impact on the neighborhood, corrective action, prior violations, likelihood of recurrence, the surrounding circumstances and how long the licensee has held a license, then votes on a recommendation. The City Council then holds its own hearing, and its findings are final and conclusive.

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.