Step 1
Apply for City Business License
Register the property as a business with the City of Columbia Business License Division. This must be completed before applying for the STR permit.
1 week$50
Documents needed
- FEIN or SSN
- Property address
Cross-referenced against 0 official sources — municipal codes, planning-department pages, and government registries.
Columbia requires an annual short-term rental permit and business license, but has implemented a 365-day moratorium on new permits in residential zones as of June 2025.
To operate an STR in Columbia, you must obtain a city business license and an annual STR permit, which involves a safety inspection and meeting parking requirements. Note that as of June 9, 2025, the city has paused the issuance of all new STR permits in residentially zoned districts for one year. Existing permit holders can still renew their permits annually by July 1st.
Step-by-step guide for Columbia
Register the property as a business with the City of Columbia Business License Division. This must be completed before applying for the STR permit.
Confirm that your property is not in a residential zone currently under the 365-day moratorium (effective June 2025). Only renewals are currently accepted for these zones.
Complete the application and pay the $50 application fee plus the annual permit fee ($100 for owner-occupied, $250 for non-owner occupied).
Schedule and pass an inspection by City Code Enforcement to ensure compliance with smoke detectors, CO detectors, and fire extinguishers.
Regulatory information is AI-researched from public city/county codes for educational purposes. Details may be outdated or incomplete. Always verify requirements directly with your city/county planning department before operating a short-term rental.
Researched & verified by Learn STR at GoStudioM