Indianapolis, IN short-term rental market report (2026)
Marion County, Indiana. Rules, revenue, home values, demand, climate, reach and risk, each figure with its source.
- RulesModerate (3/5)
- 4-BR typical value$310K
- FEMA riskRelatively High
- Demand drivers within 50 mi5
- People within 300 mi55.8 million
- ClimateSummer-peak
Everything STR HUB holds on Indianapolis, IN in one place, in the order an investor needs it: whether you can operate, what the numbers are, why and when people come, who can reach it, and what could go wrong.
Every figure comes from a named dataset listed under Sources and method, dated September 21, 2026. Where we do not hold a figure, that part of the report is left out rather than estimated. The Opportunity Score here is partial: it was calculated without revenue data, with the cash-flow component assumed to be below average, so it can understate the market.
Can you operate in Indianapolis?
| Rule | What we hold on file |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | City of Indianapolis / Marion County (consolidated government); Dept. of Business & Neighborhood Services (DBNS) |
| Permit or licence | Short-Term Rental Permit through the Dept. of Business & Neighborhood Services (DBNS) Citizen Access Portal; a separate permit is required per property for owners with multiple STRs. |
| Permit fee | $150 one-time initial fee (state law caps this fee at $150 and bars a renewal fee); permits expire and must be renewed annually at no additional charge. |
| Cap on rentals | No confirmed citywide numeric cap; some historic districts and specific residential zones reportedly restrict or prohibit STRs (exact list not confirmed). |
| Lodging and sales taxes | 7% Indiana state sales tax + Marion County Innkeeper's Tax at 10% (combined roughly 17% on gross rental receipts). |
| Penalties | The city can revoke an STR permit after three ordinance violations at a property. |
Rules for Indianapolis last verified September 20, 2026. Rules change, and a city rating does not cover HOA or deed restrictions. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction before you buy or list.
Which way the rules are moving
Loosening. The rules we hold report a recent or pending change.
Indiana's 2026 HEA 1210 bars new local numeric rental caps statewide (effective July 1, 2026), so Indianapolis is unlikely to be able to add a hard cap even if it wanted to
Classified from the regulation text we publish; a direction is only kept when the sentence it rests on appears word for word in that text.
The numbers
We have not verified revenue figures for this market yet.
Home values in Marion County
Zillow Home Value Index: county-wide typical values for Marion County, not list prices. A specific property can sit well above or below them.
What it costs to own
Screening figures, not a bill or a quote. The tax rate is a county-wide median for owner-occupied homes (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2018-2022); second homes and rentals are often taxed more heavily, and a purchase usually resets the assessed value. Expected annual loss is from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Housing market momentum
County-level, for-sale housing market: it says nothing directly about STR bookings. A relative ranking among tracked markets, not a forecast. Sources: Realtor.com Economic Research, U.S. Census Bureau, Zillow Home Value Index.
Why people come
5 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Indianapolis. Ordered by published attendance. Attendance appears only where a source publishes it.
Events
- Indianapolis 500
- When
- Memorial Day weekend (late May)
- Attendance
- 350,000 (Roughly 350,000-400,000 on race day including infield (2016 sellout cited as ~350,000, per Wikipedia); described as the largest single-day sporting event in the world. Permanent seating capacity is about 235,000.)
- STR angle
- The world's largest single-day sporting event by attendance drives Indianapolis's single biggest annual lodging spike over Memorial Day weekend.
- Brickyard 400 (NASCAR at Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
- When
- Late July (historically has shifted between July, August, and September)
- Attendance
- 70,000 (Just under 70,000 spectators (2025, per Wikipedia), down slightly from the prior year.)
- STR angle
- A second annual motorsport weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, adding a mid-summer lodging demand spike beyond the Indy 500.
Attractions
- The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
- When
- Year-round, indoor; spring break and summer are busiest.
- Attendance
- 1,300,000 (Wikipedia (The Children's Museum of Indianapolis infobox): 1.3 million visitors (2019). Billed as the world's largest children's museum.)
- STR angle
- A genuine overnight draw for families across Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky. Pairs with convention and sports weekends downtown; family-sized houses north of downtown are the natural fit.
- Grand Park Sports Campus
- When
- Year-round, peak weekends
- STR angle
- Weekend youth-tournament traffic across baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse brings large numbers of traveling families to a suburban Indianapolis market with a growing 4+ bedroom STR base.
Outdoor activities
- Brown County State Park & Nashville, Indiana
- When
- Spring through fall, with a very strong October foliage peak.
- Attendance
- 1,222,235 (Park visitation for fiscal 2018-2019 per the Wikipedia infobox.)
- STR angle
- The Midwest's best-regarded trail system sits beside an artsy cabin town that already lives on weekenders from Indianapolis, Louisville, Cincinnati and Chicago. Log cabins with hot tubs are the standard, and October books far ahead.
When they come
Summer-peak climate: May to September is comfortable and December to February highs average under 45°F. 7 of 12 months have an average high between 60°F and 88°F, and 1 month averages six inches or more of snow. Warmest month: July (average high 86°F). Coldest: February (average low 24°F).
- Jan38°24°Cold
- Feb42°24°ColdSnow
- Mar53°34°Cool
- Apr62°42°Comfortable
- May72°53°ComfortableEvent
- Jun82°63°Comfortable
- Jul86°68°ComfortableEvent
- Aug84°66°Comfortable
- Sep79°60°Comfortable
- Oct66°48°Comfortable
- Nov52°34°Cool
- Dec45°30°Cool
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high (°F) | 38 | 42 | 53 | 62 | 72 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 79 | 66 | 52 | 45 |
| Average low (°F) | 24 | 24 | 34 | 42 | 53 | 63 | 68 | 66 | 60 | 48 | 34 | 30 |
| Precipitation (in) | 3.6 | 3.8 | 5.6 | 3.6 | 4.9 | 3.7 | 4.9 | 3.6 | 1.8 | 3.8 | 2.3 | 3.1 |
| Snowfall (in) | 5.6 | 6.0 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 2.3 |
| Sunshine (hours a day) | 4.8 | 6.0 | 7.2 | 8.5 | 9.7 | 11.4 | 11.9 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 7.6 | 6.9 | 5.2 |
| Event month | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Event months within 50 miles
- May: Indianapolis 500
- July: Brickyard 400 (NASCAR at Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
This is climate and events, not booking data. Monthly normals are 2019-2023 averages from the Open-Meteo Historical Weather API (ERA5 reanalysis) at the market pin. Event months come from the demand drivers listed above. We do not hold monthly occupancy or rate data for this market.
Who can reach it
Largest counties within 150 miles
| County | Population |
|---|---|
| Marion County, IN | 971,737 |
| Hamilton County, OH | 827,671 |
| Jefferson County, KY | 779,232 |
County populations (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2018-2022) summed for every county whose centre lies within each straight-line radius. Straight lines are shorter than roads, so read these as generous upper bounds, not drive-time counts.
What could go wrong
| Hazard | FEMA rating | Score (0-100) |
|---|---|---|
| Tornado | Very High | 99.0 |
| River flooding | Relatively High | 98.3 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 96.4 |
| Winter weather | Relatively High | 93.7 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 93.6 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 34.1 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 22.3 |
This is a county-level index, not an insurance quote or a flood-zone determination. A coastal or wildfire-fringe rental can carry far more exposure than its county average suggests. FEMA does not model coastal flooding for this county, which is not the same as zero risk. Get property-level flood, wind and wildfire quotes before you buy.
Market context
Housing and jobs in Marion County
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2018-2022. Vacation-home share is housing units held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. All three describe the whole county, not one town or neighbourhood.
What is within 15 km of the Indianapolis pin
Counts of features mapped in OpenStreetMap within 15 km of the market pin. A fixed radius favours dense metros, and map coverage varies by area.
Similar markets
The 4 tracked markets whose numbers sit closest to Indianapolis's. Each links to its own report.
Closest by normalised distance across the figures both markets hold (typical 4BR value, revenue, occupancy, regulation rating, vacation-home share, tourism job share, 4+ bedroom share, amenity score, population within 300 miles, comfortable months and FEMA risk score). At most 2 of the 4 come from Indiana, so the list is not just the neighbours. Similar numbers do not mean similar rules: check each market's regulation section.
See Indianapolis on the map
Open Indianapolis on the National STR Map to see it against its neighbours, switch overlays and run the deal calculator on your own assumptions.
Indianapolis STR questions, answered from the data
Is Airbnb legal in Indianapolis?
STR HUB rates Indianapolis's short-term rental rules 3/5 (Moderate) on a scale from 1 (relaxed) to 5 (very strict). That rating was derived from the regulation text we hold and has not yet been reviewed by a person. Permit rule on file: Short-Term Rental Permit through the Dept. of Business & Neighborhood Services (DBNS) Citizen Access Portal; a separate permit is required per property for owners with multiple STRs. Cap on file: No confirmed citywide numeric cap; some historic districts and specific residential zones reportedly restrict or prohibit STRs (exact list not confirmed). Rules change, so confirm current requirements with the local jurisdiction before you buy or list.
How much does a 4-bedroom home cost in Indianapolis?
The typical 4-bedroom home in Marion County is valued at $310,231 (Zillow Home Value Index), and the typical home of any size at $230,366, with all-home values down 0.8% over the past year. These are county-wide typical values, not list prices.
What brings visitors to Indianapolis?
5 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Indianapolis, including The Children's Museum of Indianapolis (1,300,000 published attendance), Brown County State Park & Nashville, Indiana (1,222,235 published attendance) and Indianapolis 500 (350,000 published attendance). Attendance is shown only where a source publishes it, and each driver's source is linked in the report.
What natural hazards affect Indianapolis?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Marion County "Relatively High" overall, with a score of 97.5 out of 100 (a national percentile). The highest-scoring hazards we track there are tornado and river flooding. It is a county-wide index, not an insurance quote or a flood-zone determination.
When is the weather best in Indianapolis?
7 of 12 months have an average high between 60°F and 88°F (April, May, June, July, August, September and October). Summer-peak climate: May to September is comfortable and December to February highs average under 45°F. These are 2019-2023 climate normals, not booking data.
Sources and method
- Regulation summary and strictness rating: STR Agent HUB regulation research (official source: avalara.com).
- Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), county level. Data provided by Zillow Group.
- Housing, employment and population figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2018-2022.
- Natural hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, county level.
- Amenity counts: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
- Climate normals: Open-Meteo Historical Weather API (CC BY 4.0), 2019-2023 averages.
- Demand drivers: each entry links its own published source in the list above.
Figures come from the STR HUB national dataset dated September 21, 2026 and this page is regenerated whenever that dataset is rebuilt. County-level figures describe Marion County as a whole, not one street or neighbourhood. The Opportunity Score (0-100) is a screening heuristic that weighs revenue (35%), regulatory climate (25%), tourism employment (15%), nearby amenities (15%) and large-home supply (10%) relative to the other tracked markets.
Confirm before you act. Short-term rental rules change. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction, and work with a licensed local agent who knows which properties can legally operate. This report is screening data, not investment, legal or tax advice.
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