City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Morehead City, NC
How Morehead City regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Short-term rentals here are subject to registration, a lodging tax, or a small number of operating rules.
- Carteret County levies a 6% occupancy tax that reaches houses rented through Airbnb, VRBO and similar sites
- No STR-specific registration, permit, cap or minimum stay in the Morehead City code
- Single-family dwellings permitted by right in every residential district, with no transient-use exclusion
Based on: Town of Morehead City Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), incl. Art. 2 definitions and Art. 12 allowed-uses table
Summary of the rule
The Occupancy Tax also applies to rooms or houses rented by individuals through websites including, but not limited to, Airbnb, VRBO, Windu, Rooorama, etc.
Active litigation / open question
Schroeder v. City of Wilmington (N.C. Court of Appeals 2021) — No Morehead City-specific STR litigation found. Source ↗
Reported as fact only, reflecting the code as currently in effect — not legal advice, and not a prediction of the outcome. Verify current status before relying on it.
Last reviewed Oct 23, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Morehead City · 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.