Missoula Airbnb Rules & Investment Guide (2026)

A full-dwelling rental is not ready for short stays until its City registration type, zoning compliance, safety checklist, health license, and Montana tax account are confirmed.

• Classify the operation as Type 1, Type 2, or exempt Type 3 before modeling revenue or making an offer.
• Confirm parcel zoning, one-unit-per-parcel limits, owner registration limits, legal dwelling status, and private restrictions.
• Budget City fees, public-accommodation plan review and licensing, safety work, taxes, insurance, management, maintenance, and reserves from current written sources.
• Keep a lawful 30-day-or-longer rental or owner-use fallback that works without short-term rental revenue.

Missoula separates full-dwelling rentals requiring registration from host-present shared living space that is exempt from City STR registration.

• Type 1 has no primary long-term resident and is not owner- or manager-occupied, including an additional dwelling unit on the host’s parcel.
• Type 2 is the host’s primary residence when not rented, but the host is absent during guest stays.
• Type 3 is a room or shared living space with the owner present and is exempt from registration, though voluntary declaration is available.
• RVs and travel trailers are not lawfully established dwelling units and cannot operate as City short-term rentals.

Type 1 and Type 2 units require City registration, zoning review, a completed safety self-inspection, and annual renewal.

• Create an account in the City Permit and Licensing Portal, identify the zoning designation, describe the dwelling and square footage, and upload the signed safety checklist.
• A separate registration is required for each unit, and the City registration number must appear in hosting-platform and print advertisements.
• Registrations expire January 31 each year. Renewal is available through the portal, by check with the invoice, or by telephone after the renewal notice.
• The 2026 fee schedule lists $660 for a new registration, $245 for renewal, and a 5% technology fee on total fees paid.

City registration does not replace the separate public-accommodation license required for an entire tourist-home rental.

• Obtain the City registration file, zoning review, safety checklist, complaints, enforcement history, and renewal status.
• Missoula Public Health lists a $285 base plan-review fee; additional well or septic review fees may apply, and a pre-operational inspection precedes license issuance.
• The health license is tied to both owner and location and cannot transfer. A change of ownership or address requires new plan review and licensing.
• Confirm homeowner association, condominium, deed, lender, and insurance rules because City approval does not override private contracts.

The City safety checklist requires address visibility, clear exits and emergency access, alarms, safe sleeping-room egress, electrical safety, and fire protection.

• Post address numbers at least four inches high with contrast and day-or-night visibility, and keep fire lanes, hydrants, and exterior exits clear.
• Provide required interconnected smoke alarms, carbon-monoxide alarms, compliant sleeping-room egress, and an accessible fire extinguisher.
• Renew the separate public-accommodation license by December 31 each year to avoid late fees and license deactivation.
• Maintain alarms, extinguishers, fire systems, handrails, guards, wiring, appliances, exits, and stored fuels as required by the checklist.

Montana imposes a combined 8% lodging facility sales and use tax on taxable lodging, including vacation rentals.

• The statewide total consists of a 4% lodging facility use tax and a 4% lodging sales tax.
• Units rented continuously for 30 days or more to the same purchaser are exempt from the lodging facility sales and use tax.
• A lodging accommodation must obtain a seller’s permit before doing business, while marketplaces collect and remit taxes on facilitated sales.
• Operators remain responsible for taxable direct bookings, quarterly returns, City registration fees, and separate health plan-review and licensing costs.

The City may suspend or revoke short-term-rental approval and the registration number when an operator violates Chapter 5.130 or applicable regulations.

• Chapter 5.130 allows civil penalties of up to $300 for a first offense and up to $500 for a repeat offense, with each continuing day treated as a separate violation.
• Development Services accepts complaints about unregistered short-term rentals at 406-552-6630 and through the City code-compliance complaint form.
• Missoula Police handles nuisance complaints at 406-258-3452 for non-emergencies and 911 for emergencies.
• The City works with hosting platforms on registration compliance and may notify a platform when an application is not approved.
• Document guest rules, complaint responses, maintenance, safety checks, registration status, health licensing, and tax filings.

Model the exact registered dwelling instead of relying on unsupported citywide revenue, occupancy, nightly-rate, return, or neighborhood claims.

• Build revenue from legal comparables with the same registration type, dwelling form, zoning, capacity, parking, amenities, seasonality, and management model.
• Quote insurance that expressly covers transient occupancy and include utilities, turnover, repairs, taxes, platform fees, health licensing, and professional management.
• Budget safety corrections, plan review, inspection, annual renewals, weather exposure, reserves, and downtime after an ownership change.
• Calculate cash flow and return under conservative scenarios, then test the lawful long-term fallback.

Use the responsible office for each decision and retain written answers in the acquisition and operating file.

• Contact City Permit and Business Licensing at coordinators@ci.missoula.mt.us or 406-552-6060 for applications and renewals.
• Use the City’s What’s My Zoning map, effective March 2026, to identify the parcel’s Title 22 district, overlays, and floodplain designation; confirm eligibility with the zoning desk at zoningdesk@ci.missoula.mt.us or 406-552-6625.
• Contact Missoula Public Health at envhealth@missoulacounty.us or 406-258-4755 for tourist-home plan review, inspection, licensing, and ownership changes.
• Contact the Montana Department of Revenue Citizen Services Call Center at 1-800-859-2254 for seller permits, lodging taxes, returns, and marketplace collection.
• For property selection and setup support, plan a Missoula property strategy call. The City remains the authority for legal eligibility and registration approval.

Official sources checked September 28, 2026. Rules, fees, forms, and agency procedures can change, so recheck the address and current materials before filing, closing, or advertising.

• Missoula Short-Term Rental Registration
• Missoula What’s My Zoning map
• Missoula Municipal Code Title 5
• Missoula 2026 business licensing fee schedule
• Missoula STR safety self-inspection checklist
• Missoula Public Health public accommodations
• Montana lodging facility sales and use tax