Post Falls, Idaho

Post Falls short-term rentals are governed primarily by Idaho state law, among the most owner-friendly in the nation. Idaho Code 67-6539 already barred cities and counties from banning STRs outright.

In 2026, Governor Brad Little signed House Bill 583, effective July 1, 2026 via emergency clause, which goes significantly further: local governments may not require a license, permit, fee, certification, or registration to operate a short-term rental at all, and any existing conflicting local STR permit programs had to be repealed or revised before July 1, 2026. HB 583 also reclassifies STRs as ‘nontransient residential use,’ meaning they cannot be zoned out or singled out from ordinary residential properties. Cities retain only limited health-and-safety authority, such as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, escape ladders, and International Building Code occupancy limits, and only if applied equally to all residential dwellings.

On taxes, operators must collect Idaho’s 6% state sales tax plus the 2% statewide Travel and Convention lodging tax on stays of 30 days or less, a combined roughly 8%. Post Falls and Kootenai County are not a designated resort city, so no local-option lodging tax is added. Airbnb and Vrbo collect and remit these state taxes automatically on platform bookings; owners taking direct bookings must register with and remit to the Idaho State Tax Commission.

The net effect: no permit, no cap on rental nights, no owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement, and minimal local enforcement, a very low-barrier market for short-term rentals following this 2026 statewide change.