City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Morgantown, WV
How Morgantown 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.
- general (non-STR-specific) city-wide rental registration under the 1979 Housing Code reaches STR dwellings
- municipal hotel/transient occupancy tax framework reaches transient rentals
- No in-force STR-specific supply device: no residential-zone STR exclusion, no cap, no primary-residence rule
- STR-specific zoning rules only at first/second reading (draft, not enacted); citywide zoning ordinance rewrite underway
Based on: City of Morgantown Housing Code (adopted 1979), city-wide rental registration; Hotel Occupancy Tax article (Codified
Summary of the rule
The adoption of the Housing Code in 1979 requires all rental property, or property offered for rent, within the corporate city limits of Morgantown to be registered with the City
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 15, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Morgantown · system last checked Oct 25, 2026
Owners in Morgantown
Following Morgantown 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.