Short-Term Rental Laws in Bardstown, Kentucky

Bardstown — the self-styled "Bourbon Capital of the World" — sits at the center of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail (Heaven Hill, Barton 1792, Willett, Jim Beam American Stillhouse nearby). STRs are permitted with registration + life-safety + TRT collection, with zoning-class limitations in the Historic Preservation District (downtown core within the historic overlay). Owner-occupied STRs broadly permitted; non-owner-occupied STRs require Planning Commission review in residential zones outside the commercial core.

STRs allowed in most residential and commercial zones with registration. The Bardstown Historic Preservation District overlay (downtown core, Court Square + Stephen Foster Avenue + adjacent blocks) adds design-review requirements via the Bardstown Historic Preservation Commission — exterior modifications, signage, and lighting need HPC approval. Properties on the National Register of Historic Places have additional review layers. Many of the bourbon-tourist-targeted STR conversions happen in 1800s-era buildings within or adjacent to the historic district — budget extra time + cost for the HPC process.

Operators must hold a short-term rental permit before listing. See the official permit portal.

City of Bardstown + Nelson County jointly administer. Bardstown-Nelson County Tourist Commission collects Transient Room Tax monthly via direct remittance. Registration is annual with renewal verification of insurance + life-safety standards. Operating unregistered: administrative penalty + back-TRT + interest. Code enforcement cross-references Airbnb/Vrbo against the registry. Bourbon-trail seasonality (heavy spring + fall, light Jan-Feb) creates uneven cash flow — most operators run quarterly rather than monthly tax filings.

Combined short-term lodging tax in Bardstown is approximately 12.000% of gross nightly revenue (state sales + state TRT + local TRT + applicable resort/city options).

Kentucky State sales tax 6% + Nelson County Transient Room Tax + Bardstown city occupational tax — combined ~12% on transient lodging; confirm at Bardstown-Nelson County Tourist Commission

Verify the current combined rate via the Utah State Tax Commission before remitting — rates drift quarterly.