City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Red Lodge, MT
How Red Lodge 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.
- Hard citywide cap: 20% of total dwelling units (Ord. No. 963), recalculated annually
- Waiting list in force once the 20% registration limit is reached
- STR-specific registration plus fire inspection, Public Accommodation License, and resort-tax bond required
- No residential-zone exclusion (STR allowed in any zoning district below the cap)
Based on: City of Red Lodge Zoning Regulations Art. 12.4.4.50 / §12.4.4.22(M) Short-Term Rentals (Ord. 948; Ord. 957, 5-10-2022)
Summary of the rule
Ordinance No. 963 (1st Amended, adopted Aug. 2023), Applicability (verbatim): 'The City of Red Lodge hereby establishes a limit of total STR registrations permitted within the City of Red Lodge calculated as twenty percent (20%) of the total number of dwelling units in the City of Red Lodge, as determined by the county authority. The limit will be calculated by Red Lodge City staff annually in June. In the event the limit is reached, a waiting list shall be established to facilitate compliance when existing registrations either terminate or expire and are not renewed.' Short-Term Business Registration Limit: '55% of the limit registrations shall be reserved for Professionally Managed Short-Term Rentals ... The remaining 45% of limit registrations shall be made available to General Short-Term Rentals and General Owner-Occupied Short-Term Rental.'
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 16, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Red Lodge · system last checked Oct 24, 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.