The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Idaho prohibits cities and counties from banning short-term rentals and restricts local licensing fees
Last action · March 17, 2026: Reported Signed by Governor on March 16, 2026 Session Law Chapter 22 Effective: 07/01/2026
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What This Bill Does
Idaho limits the regulatory powers of cities and counties over short-term rentals, prohibiting outright bans and barring local governments from requiring licenses, fees, permits, or operational restrictions not applied to standard residential homes. The measure also restricts local tax duties on s while requiring them to register with the state tax commission for lodging tax collection, effective July 1, 2026.
Property owners gain statewide uniformity by eliminating local permitting fees and bans, while local governments lose the authority to enforce specific operational mandates like minimum owner-occupancy or rental-day caps.
- Idaho's legislature considers bills addressing local municipal autonomy and property rights regarding short-term housing rentals. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Short-term rental owners
Property owners are exempt from local licensing fees, occupancy caps below standard building codes, and municipal bans, but must comply with mandatory safety equipment rules.
Counties and cities
Local governments lose authority to ban short-term rentals, charge local operating fees, or enforce restrictions that single-family dwellings do not face.
Short-term rental marketplaces
Marketplaces must register with the state tax commission and collect, report, and remit applicable lodging and sales taxes.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a city in Idaho completely ban short-term rentals?
Are cities allowed to charge an operational fee or require a permit for short-term rentals?
What safety equipment must short-term rental owners provide under this law?
Who is responsible for collecting lodging and sales taxes for short-term rentals booked online?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
17 actions- Mar 17, 2026EnrolledReported Signed by Governor on March 16, 2026 Session Law Chapter 22 Effective: 07/01/2026
- Mar 12, 2026Delivered to Governor at 3:13 p.m. on March 12, 2026
- Mar 12, 2026Returned Signed by the President; Ordered Transmitted to Governor
- Mar 11, 2026Signed by President; returned to House
- Mar 11, 2026Received from the House enrolled/signed by Speaker
- Mar 10, 2026Reported Enrolled; Signed by Speaker; Transmitted to Senate
Show 11 earlier actions
- Mar 10, 2026FloorReturned from Senate Passed; to JRA for Enrolling
- Mar 9, 2026FloorRead third time in full – PASSED - 23-12-0 AYES – Adams, Anthon, Bernt, Bjerke(Bjerke), Blaylock, Coho(Lenney), Den Hartog, Foreman, Galloway, Grow, Hart, Keyser, Kohl, Lakey, Nichols, Okuniewicz, Ricks, Rundhaug(Carlson), Shippy, Toews, VanOrden, Zito, Zuiderveld NAYS – Burtenshaw, Cook, Guthrie, Harris, Lent, Rabe, Ruchti, Semmelroth, Taylor, Ward-Engelking, Wintrow, Woodward Absent and excused – None Floor Sponsor - Lakey Title apvd - to House
- Mar 2, 2026Read second time; filed for Third Reading
- Feb 27, 2026Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation; Filed for second reading
- Feb 13, 2026IntroducedIntroduced, read first time; referred to: Commerce & Human Resources
- Feb 13, 2026FloorReceived from the House passed; filed for first reading
- Feb 12, 2026FloorRead Third Time in Full – PASSED - 54-16-0 AYES – Alfieri, Barbieri, Beiswenger, Boyle, Bruce, Burgoyne, Cannon, Cayler, Cheatum, Cornilles, Crane(12), Crane(13), Dygert, Egbert, Ehardt, Ehlers, Erickson, Fuhriman, Galaviz, Garner, Green, Hall(Stone), Handy, Harris, Hawkins, Healey, Hill, Holtzclaw, Hostetler, Leavitt, Manwaring, Marmon, Mathias(Carlson), Mendive, Miller, Mitchell, Monks, Palmer, Pickett, Price, Rasor, Redman, Scott, Shepherd, Shirts, Skaug, Tanner(13), Tanner(14), Thompson, Vander Woude, Veile, Wheeler, Wisniewski, Mr. Speaker NAYS – Berch, Bingham, Church, Furniss, Gannon, Haws, McCann, Mickelsen, Nelsen, Petzke, Pohanka, Raybould, Raymond, Rubel, Sauter, Weber Absent – None Floor Sponsor - Redman Title apvd - to Senate
- Feb 11, 2026Read second time; Filed for Third Reading
- Feb 10, 2026Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation, Filed for Second Reading
- Feb 5, 2026CommitteeReported Printed and Referred to Business
- Feb 4, 2026IntroducedIntroduced, read first time, referred to JRA for Printing
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Statewide Preemption of Local Short-Term Rental Ordinances
The bill shifts regulatory authority from local municipalities to the state level by stripping cities and counties of their power to ban or license short-term rentals.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.idaho.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
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