Fayette County, KY, Reports Significant Drop in STRs After Tightening Regulations

7/6/2026

Short-term rental listings have substantially decreased across Fayette County, Kentucky, since the implementation of license regulations. Lexington alone has 787 STRs now compared to 1,290 when the city started enforcing the ordinance. That's according to data recently presented to the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council's General Government and Planning Committee. The council passed an ordinance three years ago and began enforcing it in January 2024. It requires STR owners to register with the city on an annual basis. If an operator does not renew by the end of each January, their license is revoked. It can also be revoked if a property has two violations in a single calendar year. Officials modified the ordinance in December 2024, reducing the maximum number of people who can occupy an STR from 12 to 10 at any given time, and new STRs are barred from being located within 600 feet of another.

WEKU Eastern Kentucky University (07/03/26) Shepherd Snyder