Hayden, Idaho

Short-term rentals are legal in Hayden, Idaho, and the regulatory environment is among the most permissive in the country. Idaho Code 67-6539 bars cities and counties from enacting or enforcing ordinances that expressly or practically prohibit short-term or vacation rentals, requiring STRs to be classified as a residential land use.

House Bill 583, signed March 16, 2026, and effective July 1, 2026, significantly strengthened this pre-emption. It bars local governments from requiring any license, fee, permit, certification, or registration for STRs and prohibits local rules imposing owner-occupancy requirements, night caps, density caps, proximity caps, or additional parking and insurance requirements that do not also apply to ordinary single-family homes. Local authority is now largely confined to life-safety requirements (smoke and CO alarms, fire extinguishers, escape ladders, and occupancy limits per building code) that apply equally to ordinary residences.

No dedicated STR ordinance or registration program was found for the City of Hayden. Note that the adjacent City of Hayden Lake is a separate municipality with its own Chapter 9 STR ordinance, so investors must confirm which jurisdiction a property sits in before assuming permissive city-of-Hayden rules apply.

On taxes, Idaho applies a 6% state sales tax plus a 2% statewide travel and convention tax, for an effective 8% lodging tax on short-term rentals. Enforcement severity is rated minimal.