City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Big Sky, MT
How Big Sky regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Short-term rentals here operate under a registration or permit system with ongoing operating rules.
- County zoning CUP required only in 2 of 22 Gallatin districts
- Most Gallatin districts and unzoned parcels are silent on STR
- Madison County portion has no STR-specific zoning or land-use process (confirmed by 180-page subdivision-reg scan)
- State public-accommodation license plus health inspection applies statewide in both counties
- No county-wide cap, occupancy, or night limit in either county
- No owner occupancy requirement
Based on: Gallatin County & Madison County land-use regulations (unincorporated Big Sky; STR via zoning/CUP)
Summary of the rule
Madison County's Subdivision Regulations (Ordinance 1-2025, covering the entire county including the Big Sky/Yellowstone Club/Moonlight Basin/Spanish Peaks portion) contain no short-term-rental, vacation-rental, or tourist-accommodation-specific provision. Madison County's adopted zoning districts (HC, R-TD, R-LD, C-CR) are located around Ennis/Twin Bridges and do not cover the Big Sky area, consistent with Montana's Part-1 citizen-initiated zoning model under which a county has zoning only in petitioned districts. Yellowstone Club/Moonlight Basin/Spanish Peaks development proceeds via PUD/subdivision plat review, not an STR zoning permit. Madison County has no county-specific STR land-use regulation for the area.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 10, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Big Sky · system last checked Nov 9, 2026
Owners in Big Sky
Following Big Sky adds it to the Followed cities list on your ASTRO dashboard, linked to its city page.
Add a home to the ASTRO registry and confirm ownership of it.
City Watch tracks changes from public sources — council agendas, state bills, local news — not a complete legal compendium.
A city permit is not the whole picture — HOA, condominium, deed, or lease rules may be stricter.
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.