STR rules · verified 1mo ago
Short-term rental rules in Harrison, MS
Harrison County (Mississippi Gulf Coast, includes Biloxi, Gulfport, Long Beach, Pass Christian, D'Iberville) does NOT impose a county-wide short-term rental ordinance in unincorporated areas. STR regulation in Harrison County is overwhelmingly city-driven: Biloxi and Gulfport operate STR-specific zoning + business-license regimes; Long Beach and Pass Christian rely on city zoning use tables. Harrison County collects a 3% Coastal Mississippi Tourism Tax (Harrison County Tourism Commission, Sec. 75-15-1 et seq.) which stacks on top of the 7% Mississippi state sales tax for a ~10% effective lodging tax. The county is also part of the Mississippi Gaming Coast and several Gulf-front parcels overlap the Casino Hotel use overlay; truly residential STRs are clearly distinct from casino-hotel transient lodging, but the same parcels often sit within enterprise zones with separate Mississippi Gaming Commission and casino-property tax considerations.
What's behind the sign-in
- Registration fees — initial + annual renewal cost, per permit type
- Permit caps + waitlists — exact cap values, current waitlist counts
- Owner-occupancy rules — days/year requirement, permit-class splits
- Zoning carve-outs — which districts allow / disallow STR
- Tax stack — TOT, hotel, county + state layers
- Stay limits — min/max nightly, max nights/year
- Operational requirements — parking, insurance, fire inspection, neighbor notice
- Penalties — per-night fines, revocation thresholds
- City-specific gotchas — HOA carve-outs, pending legislation, recent court rulings
- Refresh on demand — re-run the agentic pipeline against the city's current ordinance
Frequently asked
Are short-term rentals legal in Harrison, MS?
Harrison is currently restricted for short-term rentals. Permitted but with material constraints — caps, owner-occupancy rules, zoning carve-outs, or active ordinance review. For the actual fees, caps, owner-occupancy rules, and city-specific gotchas, sign in.
Do I need a permit to run an Airbnb in Harrison?
Almost certainly yes — almost every U.S. city now requires a short-term rental permit, vacation rental permit, or transient lodging permit before you can legally list. The specifics for Harrison (cost, renewal cycle, required documents) are behind sign-in. You can also read the source ordinance directly: https://co.harrison.ms.us/.
What happens if I rent without a permit in Harrison?
Most cities charge per-night fines (a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per violation), escalating to cease-and-desist letters and platform delisting on repeat. Airbnb and Vrbo now share permit-validation feeds with most major cities, so unpermitted listings get blocked at the platform level. Sign in to see the specific penalty schedule for Harrison.
How current is this data for Harrison?
This record was verified 1mo ago against the city's published ordinance (.gov or the city's official municipal-code publisher). Cached cities re-verify on a cadence — daily for cities under active legislation, weekly otherwise. Signed-in users can hit Refresh on any city to force a fresh pull. If you're underwriting a deal, always confirm against the city's code-enforcement office before closing.
Can my HOA or condo association ban STRs even if Harrison allows them?
Yes. City permits authorize you under municipal law, but your HOA, condo association, or co-op board sets contractual rules that override the city for your unit. Many HOAs adopted blanket STR bans between 2018 and 2024 in response to neighbor complaints. Read the CC&Rs, bylaws, and rental addendums before you buy with an STR plan — the city saying yes does not mean your building says yes.