Branson STR rules

Taney County nightly rental rules, plus Hollister and Forsyth

Taney County calls short-term rentals “nightly rentals.” Outside city limits, county zoning decides whether you can run one, and most of the zones that allow them want a Conditional Use Permit. Hollister has its own rules. In Forsyth it’s a lodging license and a fire inspection.

Last checked . This is general info, not legal or tax advice, and rules change. Check with Taney County Planning & Zoning before you rely on it.

Where are nightly rentals allowed in Taney County?

They’re permitted in the NR-1, NR-3 and C-2 districts. In A-1, RR-1, RV-1 and C-1 you need a Conditional Use Permit, and every nightly rental outside NR-1, NR-3 and C-2 needs one (Art. 024, §024.020 A and N). Article 024 doesn’t list any other district. If yours isn’t named, ask Planning & Zoning.

The county’s definition: a dwelling rented for less than 30 calendar days in unincorporated Taney County. Hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts are excluded (Taney County Zoning Regulations, Art. 024).

Inside Branson, city rules apply. Check the Branson city limits map, then go to the Branson license page.

How do I get a Conditional Use Permit?

Taney County Planning & Zoning lists the nightly rental Conditional Use Permit on its permits page, and the forms are on its applications page. The fee is $200, non-refundable, plus postage and advertising costs. The Planning Commission meets on the second Monday of the month, and your application is due 29 days before that. Those terms are from the current application, dated Jan. 8, 2026 (CUP application).

Include a site plan that shows the off-street parking (Art. 024 §024.020 D). Before the county issues a Zoning Certificate, Planning needs a copy of your valid Missouri sales tax license (§024.020 H).

Guest limits, parking and other county rules

WhatThe ruleSource
Occupancy2 people per dwelling unit plus 2 per bedroom, so a 2-bedroom allows 6. If the septic system, the parking or the fire district allows fewer, the lower number wins. The cap is 20. A bedroom is at least 70 sq ft and at least 7 ft in every direction, with a door, a window and a closet. Children under 2 don’t count.§024.010, §024.020 C
ParkingOne off-street space for every 2 people of occupancy, plus one handicapped space in each parking area. Guests can’t park more vehicles than there are marked spaces, and fewer spaces means a lower occupancy.§024.020 D
Sign at the doorPosted within 5 ft of the front door, inside and outside. It lists the local representative’s name and phone, the owner’s name and address, contacts for Planning and the Sheriff’s office, maximum occupancy, parking spaces and vehicle limit, and the trash pickup day.§024.020 B
Safety equipmentAt least one working fire extinguisher, plus working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms that meet local fire district rules.§024.020 G
Fire inspectionThe fire district inspects every year unless it waives it. You make any fixes it asks for before the Zoning Certificate is issued.§024.020 I
Local representativeHas to answer 24/7 and live or have a permanent place of business in Taney County or an adjoining county. If the Sheriff can’t reach them in a timely way twice in 12 months, that’s a violation. New representative? File a revised application.§024.020 J
Trash and lightingTrash picked up weekly in every month the rental is available. Outdoor lights point down.§024.020 E, F
Buffer and conditionsThe Planning Commission sets the buffer from existing homes and can add conditions. It may also weigh recorded subdivision covenants.§024.020 K, L
InsuranceThe owner must carry appropriate liability insurance.§024.020 P
RevocationPlanning can revoke the permit for repeated violations, unsafe or unsanitary conditions, or a nuisance.§024.020 O

Fire district permits and fees

Your fire district depends on where the property is, and each one sets its own permit fees.

The Central Taney County Fire Protection District prices a nightly rental permit like new construction, from the cost of materials. There’s a $50 minimum, then $4 per $1,000 for the first $250,000, $2 per $1,000 for the next $750,000 and $1 per $1,000 above $1 million. Sprinkler systems add $150, fire alarm systems $100 and cooking hood suppression $50. It counts allowed occupants as square feet divided by 200, so 2,000 sq ft allows 10 people. Its guidance also has a chart of required equipment by building size and type, sprinklers included. Read it before you buy (CTCFPD Nightly Rental Guidance).

The county’s CUP packet includes 2021 guidance from the Western Taney County Fire Protection District. Western Taney also counts occupants as square feet divided by 200, and it prices its permit by square footage (CUP application packet). Ask Planning & Zoning which district serves your parcel.

Hollister nightly rentals

Hollister defines a nightly rental as a building with four or fewer guestrooms rented for less than 30 days at a time. The occupant load is one person per 200 gross square feet, plus one (§400.020). Under Appendix 5 (amended by Ord. 25-19, Sept. 2025), they’re a conditional use in the R-1 district in only three places: Ivanhoe Place subdivision, the part of Taneycomo Addition–Club east of U.S. 65, and Golden Acres subdivision (Appendix 5). Appendix 5 also asks for:

The conditional use permit costs $50 and is approved administratively after a public posting. If you don’t use it within 180 days it lapses. It can’t be transferred to a different applicant, even at the same location (Ch. 400 Art. V). Five or more guest rooms puts you under Hollister’s separate lodging establishment license (Ch. 625). Hollister also charges a 5% tourism tax (Ch. 140 Art. VIII), covered on the taxes page.

For any other zoning district, ask Hollister Building and Planning or the City Clerk.

Forsyth nightly rentals

We couldn’t find a short-term or nightly rental ordinance in Forsyth’s municipal code (Forsyth Code on eCode360). The city’s business page does have a Nightly Rentals section. A lodging license there comes with an annual fire and life safety inspection, which you book with the Forsyth Fire Department at (417) 546-3074. For licensing, call City Hall at (417) 546-4763 (City of Forsyth, Business). We also couldn’t find a published Forsyth zoning rule or fee for short-term rentals. Call before you list (Forsyth contact page).

Local help

Your septic system can cap your guest count, so call a septic and plumbing company early. The directory also lists pest control and handyman services across Taney County.

Other pages in this guide

Sources

These are government pages and code sections unless the line says otherwise. We read each one on October 19, 2026.

  1. Taney County Zoning Regulations (Sept. 16, 2024), Article 024 Nightly Rentals, PDF. https://media.taneycounty.org/pdf.php?5245. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
  2. Taney County Planning & Zoning, Permits. https://www.taneycounty.org/index.php?department=15&page=10700&section=departments. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
  3. Taney County Planning & Zoning, Applications. https://www.taneycounty.org/index.php?section=departments&department=15&page=10687. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
  4. Taney County Conditional Use Permit application (Jan. 8, 2026), PDF. https://media.taneycounty.org/pdf.php?5536. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
  5. Central Taney County Fire Protection District, Nightly Rental Guidance, PDF. https://centraltaneycountyfire.org/wp-content/uploads/Nightly-Rental-Guidance.pdf. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
  6. Hollister Code Ch. 400 Art. V, Conditional uses. https://ecode360.com/29544639. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
  7. Hollister Code Ch. 400 Appendix 5, Nightly Rentals Conditional Uses (Ord. 25-19), PDF. https://ecode360.com/attachment/333513/HO3324-400o%20App%205.pdf. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
  8. Hollister Code §400.020, Definitions. https://ecode360.com/29544281. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
  9. Hollister Code Ch. 625, Lodging Establishments. https://ecode360.com/29546642. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
  10. Hollister Code Ch. 140 Art. VIII, Tourism Tax. https://ecode360.com/29542516. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
  11. City of Hollister, Building and Planning. https://www.hollistermo.gov/page/building-and-planning. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
  12. City of Hollister, City Clerk. https://www.hollistermo.gov/page/city-clerk. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
  13. City of Forsyth, Business (Nightly Rentals section). https://forsythmo.gov/business/#nightly-rental. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
  14. City of Forsyth Code (eCode360). https://ecode360.com/FO3303. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
  15. City of Forsyth, Contact. https://forsythmo.gov/contact/. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
  16. City of Branson, In or Out of City Limits map. https://gis.bransonmo.gov/inOutCity/. Checked Oct 19, 2026.

Last checked October 19, 2026. Spot something out of date? Give us a holler and we’ll fix it.