Haywood County, NC

Where short-term rentals are allowed in Waynesville, NC

In Waynesville, a home rented for less than a month falls outside the residential use category. The Land Development Standards file daily and weekly rental under lodging.[7]

Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.

Can you rent short term in Waynesville?

Your zoning decides

Seasonal homes
485
Housing units
6,057
Residents
10,502

U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates

  • City ruleAllowed by zone
  • City feeNone published
  • Tax on each stay11%
  • Seasonal homes80 per 1,000

Waynesville short-term rental rules

Waynesville's table of permitted uses has no row for short-term rentals. Section 2.5.2 presumes any use missing from the table to be prohibited in that district. The Administrator may instead find a materially similar listed use, apply its rules and record the decision in writing. The lodging rows start with bed and breakfast homes of up to four rooms. Those are permitted with standards in every residential district. Inns need a special use permit there. Hotels with more than 30 rooms appear only in the NC, BD and RC districts.[7]

What Waynesville asks of you

  • On October 20, 2025, the Planning Board held a public hearing on a short-term rental text amendment.[10]

  • Its notice listed four sections of the Land Development Standards, Section 2.5 among them.[10]

  • Ordinance O-25-26 of June 23, 2026 is the last one codified on Municode, and the code still has no short-term rental use.[8]

  • A bed and breakfast home must have its owner living on the premises, unless a manager lives there instead. It rents four rooms at most, with no cooking facilities in them.[9]

  • The definition caps a bed and breakfast home at eight guests a night.[9]

  • Beyond overnight stays, the home may host four contracted events a year. Each one needs a temporary use permit.[9]

What North Carolina asks wherever you host

These rules apply at this address whatever the city decides.

  • Under G.S. 160D-1207(c), no North Carolina city can make registration a condition of renting your property. Demanding a housing-code permit before you rent is barred as well. The Court of Appeals applied that rule in Schroeder v. City of Wilmington.[1]

  • Zoning is what remains. In that case the court let a city keep whole-house lodging inside named districts. Parking rules survived too, as did limits on large events. So did insurance conditions and posted safety information.[1]

  • Renting out a private residence or cottage owes North Carolina's 4.75% sales tax. Local and transit rates come on top. So does any occupancy tax levied by the city or county. Sales tax stops once a single guest has stayed ninety days in a row.[3]

North Carolina short-term rental rules

What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Waynesville

Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.

Short-term rental tax layers in Waynesville
LayerRateRemitted to
North Carolina state sales tax[3]4.75%The state revenue department
Haywood County local sales tax[4]2.25%The state revenue department
Haywood County occupancy tax[5]4%The county
Total on a taxable stay11%

Haywood County wants each rental registered with its Finance Office and the Tourism Development Authority. The monthly remittance form goes in with payment by the 20th.[6]

Airbnb taxes for hosts

What the census counts

How much of Waynesville is already a second home

The Census Bureau counts 485 of Waynesville's 6,057 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 80 out of every 1,000. It ranks Waynesville 24th of the 31 North Carolina cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.

Rank in the state
24th of 31
Share of housing
80 per 1,000
Median home value
$281,700

U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.

Nearby and comparable

Where Waynesville sits among its neighbors

Brevard, NC

Allowed by zone

397 seasonal homes, 92 per 1,000 housing units.

Brevard short-term rental rules

Pinehurst, NC

Allowed by zone

723 seasonal homes, 76 per 1,000 housing units.

Pinehurst short-term rental rules

Southport, NC

Allowed by zone

346 seasonal homes, 140 per 1,000 housing units.

Southport short-term rental rules

Wilmington, NC

Allowed by zone

1,452 seasonal homes, 23 per 1,000 housing units.

Wilmington short-term rental rules
StatewideEvery North Carolina city on this site, in one tableState law, the tax stack and every city we cover in North Carolina, with what each one asks of a host.North Carolina short-term rental rules

Keep exploring

FAQ

Waynesville short-term rental questions

Is a cleaning fee taxed on a Waynesville rental?

Yes. North Carolina counts cleaning fees in the gross receipts of an accommodation rental, along with pet fees. A cancellation fee stated separately is not taxed.[2]

What occupancy tax applies in Waynesville?

Haywood County's 4%, on overnight stays shorter than 90 consecutive days. The county's tourism authority leaves out a private residence rented for under 15 days a year.[5]

Can I run a bed and breakfast in a Waynesville neighborhood?

Yes. A bed and breakfast home of up to four rooms is permitted with additional standards in every residential district.[7]

What happens to a use Waynesville's table does not list?

It is presumed prohibited in the district. The Administrator can still decide in writing that a materially similar listed use exists, whose rules then apply.[7]
Read nextHow to start an AirbnbThe six steps in order, starting with the permit check.Read the guide

Sources

  1. Short-Term Rental Regulations after Schroeder, Coates' Canons, UNC School of Government, read on September 20, 2026
  2. Rentals of Accommodations, Sales and Use Tax, North Carolina Department of Revenue, read on September 20, 2026
  3. Sales and Use Tax Bulletins, January 2026 (SUTB 1 and SUTB 6, Accommodations), North Carolina Department of Revenue, read on October 1, 2026
  4. Taxes, Haywood County, read on October 1, 2026
  5. Occupancy Tax, Haywood County Tourism Development Authority, read on October 1, 2026
  6. How do you collect and pay Haywood County Occupancy Tax?, Haywood County, read on October 1, 2026
  7. Land Development Standards, Sec. 2.5, Use Categories and Interpretation of Uses, Town of Waynesville, read on October 1, 2026
  8. Code of Ordinances, Supplement 17, Update 2, Town of Waynesville, read on October 1, 2026
  9. Land Development Standards, Sec. 3.3.1 and Sec. 17.3, Town of Waynesville, read on October 1, 2026
  10. Notice of Public Hearing, Planning Board, Town of Waynesville, read on October 1, 2026

This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 1, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.

Before you list

Free tools for new hosts

See all

Short-term rental agreement generator

Parties, dates, rent, deposit checked against your state's cap, and the house rules clauses you enforce. A signed-ready PDF for direct and Vrbo bookings.

Printable PDFCustomizableNo sign up
Open the tool

Airbnb host fee calculator

What Airbnb takes on a booking under the 15.5% host-only fee or the old split fee, what the guest pays on top, and the payout that reaches you.

Instant calculationResult in 30 sNo sign up
Open the tool

Airbnb cleaning checklist generator

Build a printable turnover checklist by room, with restock, photos to take and a place for the cleaner to sign. Free PDF, no sign-up.

Printable PDFCustomizableNo sign up
Open the tool

Check-in instructions

The message a guest reads before getting in: access, keys, WiFi, parking, contact. English or bilingual output.

CustomizableInstant resultNo sign-up
Open the tool