🎯 STRisker: Bulletin - Clayton, MO
Clayton Officially Opened the Door to Short-Term Rentals.
Clayton Gives STRs the Green Light—with Strings Attached
Short-term rentals are coming to Clayton, but not without rules, limits, and a vision for what the city wants to achieve. The Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to approve STRs like those found on Airbnb or VRBO. The catch? They’ll only be allowed downtown, and only under strict conditions.
At the heart of the policy are permits. Anyone interested in hosting guests will need two layers of approval: a conditional use permit and a dedicated short-term rental occupancy permit. Both will have to be renewed annually, and the city will keep the power to pull the plug on permits if an operator breaks the rules.
And the rules are crystal clear: no one-night stays, no parties, no weddings. Guests must stay a minimum of two nights but no longer than a month. STRs are limited to just four units in any building, and here’s a quirky detail—they can only be created in buildings built before 1955. City leaders explained that this unusual cutoff is intentional: the goal is to breathe new life into Clayton’s older structures instead of fueling speculation in new construction.
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By design, Clayton’s approach is as much about city planning as it is about tourism. Leaders see STRs as a way to revitalize downtown, bringing in visitors while keeping neighborhoods free from the churn of transient guests. It’s a carefully drawn boundary, saying “yes” to opportunity but “no” to the headaches many communities have reported with STR booms.
For neighbors who worried about late-night parties or waves of short-term tenants, this vote sends a reassuring signal: STRs will be contained, managed, and purpose-driven. For property owners downtown, it opens a new business avenue—but only if they play by the city’s rulebook.
Clayton’s leaders didn’t just pass a law; they crafted a roadmap. By tying STRs to historic buildings and layering on accountability, they’ve put community preservation at the center of the conversation. It’s not just about hosting visitors—it’s about keeping Clayton’s identity intact.
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