City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Fairhope, AL
How Fairhope regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Rules here limit which homes may operate as short-term rentals, how many, where, or for how many nights a year.
- Short-term rental (under 30 days) foreclosed by zoning in all single-family residential districts (R-1, R-2, R-3)
- STR permitted only in higher-density residential and commercial/resort districts (R-4, R-5, B-1, B-2, B-3a, B-3b)
- City business license required for any rental dwelling
- No permit cap or primary-residence carve-out layered on top; the device is purely zoning-district exclusion
Based on: City of Fairhope Zoning Ordinance (STR definition/district provision; STR treatment adopted via zoning amendment
Summary of the rule
Short-term rental is permitted only in the R-4, R-5, B-1, B-2, B-3a and B-3b zoning districts. If a property is zoned R-1, R-2, or R-3 (single-family residential districts), the rental period must not be less than 30 days.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 14, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Fairhope · system last checked Oct 25, 2026
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City Watch provides good-faith summaries of publicly available information as of the review date shown. Rules, enforcement, and permit availability can change, and summaries may contain errors or omissions. Ratings describe the general regulatory environment; they do not establish whether a particular property or stay is permitted. This is general information, not legal advice. Before buying, listing, or hosting, verify applicable requirements with the responsible authorities and review any HOA, condominium, deed, or lease restrictions.