Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will consider temporarily lifting limits on how many short-term rentals — such as Airbnbs — that property owners can hold, aiming to capitalize on the influx of people expected during the World Cup this summer.
Six World Cup matches are slated for Kansas City between June 16 and July 11, and the impacts are expected to reach Lawrence and beyond. That’s especially true if Lawrence ends up hosting an international team’s base camp, which we should know by the end of this month.
“Currently, the city’s short-term residential rental property code limits any licensee, owner, or individual to a maximum of three short-term rental licenses within city limits,” according to a memo to the commission in Tuesday’s agenda. “This amendment would temporarily change the short-term rental property code, lifting the three-license cap per individual during the World Cup period.”
The change would go into effect on May 25, if approved. It does not include an end date, but “staff would begin preparing an initiation request to restore previous code provisions to become effective at the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup,” the agenda item states.
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
A second temporary change to city codes the commission will consider Tuesday would allow non-owner-occupied short-term rentals in R-1 and R-2 zoning — the less dense districts in the city, where that use is currently not permitted.
“This ordinance would not change other licensing and inspection requirements, nor would it alter the Land Development Code’s process for establishing a short-term rental,” according to the agenda item.
The city has already increased the transient guest tax rate, a sales tax that applies to hotel room and short-term rental stays, to 8% from 6%, which is expected to bring in approximately $940,000 in increased revenue in 2026, according to city staff.
Meeting info
City commissioners will meet for the first time this year at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6 at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St.
The commission accepts written public comment emailed to ccagendas@lawrenceks.org until noon the day of meetings. The commission also hears live public comment during meetings, both in person and virtually.
City commission meetings are no longer livestreamed on YouTube. In order to watch the meeting online remotely, attendees must join via Zoom at this link, which also allows participants to provide public comment virtually. Meeting recordings are uploaded to the city’s YouTube channel the next day.
See the commission’s complete meeting agenda at this link.
Commissioners will also discuss a draft affordable housing incentive policy.
Note: The Lawrence City Commission meeting will proceed as scheduled and City Hall will be open to the public for that meeting despite the building being closed after a shooting Monday morning. Read more about that in this article.
If local news matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
Don’t miss a beat — get the latest news from the Times delivered to your inbox:
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
More coverage: World Cup 2026
August Rudisell/Lawrence TimesLawrence city commissioners to consider lifting short-term rental rules during World Cup
Latest Lawrence news:
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
