Sheridan, Wyoming Short-Term Rental Rules

Zoning, ADU, and business license — inside city limits

Sheridan treats short-term rentals as a home-based business use within existing residential zoning, not as a separately licensed category with its own ordinance. In practice that means standard zoning, building, and fire/life-safety compliance; one STR per property; and, for properties with an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), the owner occupying one of the two units to operate an STR in the other. There is currently no cap on nights rented per year.

Source: STR Profit Map — Sheridan, WY short-term rental regulations guide. Full breakdown, including what "no dedicated ordinance" does and doesn't mean: Do I need a permit to run an Airbnb in Sheridan?

County vs. city — what changes outside city limits

Sheridan County has no separate, county-wide short-term rental ordinance. But outside city limits you're not under the city's zoning code at all — you're under the county's own permitting process. Any construction, reconstruction, alteration, or change of use of a structure or lot requires a zoning and/or building permit from the Sheridan County Public Works Department — the same office that handles conditional use permits, variances, and subdivisions. Some structures and uses are exempt from the zoning permit requirement; confirm with the county before assuming yours is or isn't. Reach them at (307) 675-2420 or (307) 674-2920.

State tax registration and Wyoming real estate licensing rules (below) apply the same way whether the property sits inside city limits or out in the county — only the local zoning/permit process differs.

Taxes: sales and lodging tax, statewide plus local

Both taxes apply to stays of 29 nights or fewer and are owed regardless of which platform the stay is booked through. Every operator must register with the Wyoming Department of Revenue to collect and remit both — a state requirement independent of city or county zoning approval. Rates confirmed against the Wyoming Excise Tax Division's published rate charts and Sheridan County's own tax structure page. Full breakdown, including how the rate got here and who's responsible for remitting it: What is the lodging tax on short-term rentals in Wyoming?

When Wyoming real estate licensing applies

Wyoming Statute § 33-28-102 defines managing real estate for compensation on behalf of another party as "property management" — a licensed real estate activity under § 33-28-101. If you're paid to run someone else's short-term rental — setting rates, accepting bookings, collecting the money — that generally requires the person or company doing it to hold a Wyoming real estate broker's license.

The other half matters just as much: § 33-28-103 exempts an owner managing their own property. Plenty of Sheridan STR owners run their own listings and need no license to do it — that's the statute working as written, not a loophole. Licensing only enters the picture when a separate person or company is being paid to manage the property for someone else. The Wyoming Real Estate Commission licenses and regulates that activity. Full breakdown, including the narrow on-site resident-manager exemption and what a license actually requires: Do I need a license to manage Airbnb properties in Wyoming?

How Wyo Stays handles this

Wyo Stays operates as a licensed Wyoming real estate brokerage. Property management activity is carried under that license, with client funds held in a dedicated, WREC-compliant trust account, a written management agreement for every property, and state tax registration and remittance handled as a standard part of onboarding — not an add-on.