Short-term rental rules in Wrightsville Beach, NC
Wrightsville Beach regulates rooms let inside an occupied home under the name guest home, or tourist home. The owner or operator lives in the dwelling. No more than four rooms go to paying guests.[6]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Wrightsville Beach?
State and county rules only
- Seasonal homes
- 1,360
- Housing units
- 2,886
- Residents
- 2,665
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleNo city ordinance
- City feeNone published
- Tax on each staySet locally
- Seasonal homes471 per 1,000
Wrightsville Beach Airbnb rules
Wrightsville Beach has no rule written for whole-house short-term rentals, and its zoning table never names them as a use. The C-1 district is established to embrace tourist and short-term residential uses alongside commercial ones. C-2 carries the same stated purpose. Tourist or guest homes, where rooms are let to guests, need conditional zoning in C-1 through C-4. That use is not permitted in the R-1 or R-2 residential districts. Accessory buildings on a lot may not be rented or occupied for gain. Hotels and motels in the commercial districts are capped at 48 units per acre.[5]
What Wrightsville Beach asks of you
The town code, current through Ordinance 1872 of July 14, 2026, contains no short-term rental chapter.[4]
In the development ordinance, a guest home is an owner- or operator-occupied dwelling. Rooms are rented there for compensation, four at most.[6]
Tourist and guest homes need conditional zoning in districts C-1 through C-4. The use table leaves them out of R-1 and R-2.[5]
Required parking follows the number of toilets. A home with up to three toilets needs two spaces. Eight toilets and up call for five.[7]
Outdoor music audible more than 150 feet away is prohibited from 10:00 p.m. That restriction lifts at 8:00 a.m.[8]
A non-resident owner is liable for tenants' second and later violations within 24 months. The first citation must have reached the owner by registered or certified mail.[9]
Fines for nighttime noise start at $250 and reach $1,000 from the fourth offense.[10]
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]
What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Wrightsville Beach
Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.
| Layer | Rate | Remitted to |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina state sales tax[3] | 4.75% | The state revenue department |
| Local and transit sales tax[2] | Not published | The state revenue department |
| Wrightsville Beach room occupancy tax[11] | 6% | The county |
Monthly reports go to the New Hanover County Finance Department through its online portal. They are due by the 20th day after the reporting month.[11]
Airbnb taxes for hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Wrightsville Beach is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 1,360 of Wrightsville Beach's 2,886 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 471 out of every 1,000. It ranks Wrightsville Beach 9th 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
- 9th of 31
- Share of housing
- 471 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $1,168,700
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Wrightsville Beach sits among its neighbors
Kure Beach, NC
No city ordinance
841 seasonal homes, 394 per 1,000 housing units.
Kure Beach short-term rental rulesCarolina Beach, NC
Registration required
2,337 seasonal homes, 373 per 1,000 housing units.
Carolina Beach short-term rental rulesWilmington, NC
Allowed by zone
1,452 seasonal homes, 23 per 1,000 housing units.
Wilmington short-term rental rulesDuck, NC
Allowed by zone
1,318 seasonal homes, 469 per 1,000 housing units.
Duck short-term rental rulesFAQ
Wrightsville Beach short-term rental questions
Does Wrightsville Beach require a short-term rental permit?
Can I rent out rooms in my Wrightsville Beach home?
Where does the 6% occupancy tax go?
Sources
- Short-Term Rental Regulations after Schroeder, Coates' Canons, UNC School of Government, read on September 20, 2026
- Rentals of Accommodations, Sales and Use Tax, North Carolina Department of Revenue, read on September 20, 2026
- Sales and Use Tax Bulletins, January 2026 (SUTB 1 and SUTB 6, Accommodations), North Carolina Department of Revenue, read on October 1, 2026
- Code of Ordinances, current through Ordinance 1872 (July 14, 2026), Town of Wrightsville Beach, read on October 1, 2026
- Unified Development Ordinance, Sections 155.6.3 to 155.7.2, Town of Wrightsville Beach, read on October 1, 2026
- Unified Development Ordinance, Exhibit A Definitions, Town of Wrightsville Beach, read on October 1, 2026
- Unified Development Ordinance, Section 155.9.1 Off-Street Parking Requirements, Town of Wrightsville Beach, read on October 1, 2026
- Code of Ordinances, § 97.04 Noises prohibited at certain times, Town of Wrightsville Beach, read on October 1, 2026
- Code of Ordinances, § 97.07 Non-resident owner and occupant responsibility, Town of Wrightsville Beach, read on October 1, 2026
- Code of Ordinances, § 97.99 Penalty, Town of Wrightsville Beach, read on October 1, 2026
- Room Occupancy Tax Information, New Hanover County, read on October 1, 2026
- How Room Occupancy Tax Funds Are Distributed, New Hanover County, 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
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.
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.
Airbnb house rules
Generate a complete PDF house rules document for your property: rules, schedule, amenities, emergency contacts.
Check-in instructions
The message a guest reads before getting in: access, keys, WiFi, parking, contact. English or bilingual output.