City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Deadwood, SD
How Deadwood 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.
- residential-zone exclusion of whole-home STR (Vacation Home Establishments barred in R1/R2)
- discretionary conditional-use-permit only, reviewed annually
- whole-home vacation rentals permitted only in Commercial / Commercial Highway zones
- no by-right whole-home STR in residential districts
Based on: Deadwood Municipal Code Title 17 (Zoning), Ch. 17.53 Transient Commercial Use of Residential Property--Prohibited
Summary of the rule
DMC §17.53.030 Permission (Ch. 17.53 Transient Commercial Use of Property--Prohibited; amended by Ord. 1370 on 5/1/2023): 'Vacation Home Establishments are strictly prohibited in R1 and R2 zoning districts with the exceptions under 17.53.040. Vacation Home Establishments shall only be located in upper floors of commercial structures within the local historic district.' AND 'Specialty Resort establishments are strictly prohibited in R1 and R2 zoning districts. Specialty Resort Establishments shall only be located in upper floors of commercial structures within the local historic district boundaries.' Whole-home (Vacation Home) STR excluded from R1/R2 residential districts entirely and confined to upper floors of commercial historic-district structures → residential-zone exclusion supply device.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 16, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Deadwood · 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.