Tippecanoe County – West Lafayette

Apply with the West Lafayette Building Department. Its Rental Housing Inspection Office handles rental registration.

 

Rental registration is $5 per property each year. Inspection costs $225 for a single family home or converted housing. It costs $48 per bedroom for a purpose built duplex, multi unit building, or condo unit. The first re inspection is free, then each one costs $100. A missed inspection costs $100. Moving a verification to a new owner costs $5. No separate fee is listed for the transient guest permit.

 

Register the property every year. Single family and converted homes need a new inspection every year for new owners and every 2 years for established owners. Duplex, multi unit, and condo units need one every 2 years, or every 4 years for qualifying established owners. The transient guest permit has no set renewal term.

 

West Lafayette follows the same county zoning rules as Lafayette. It adopted the short term rental rules on November 7, 2022. Whole home guest houses are allowed by right in R3, R4, MRU, CB, and CBW zones. They need a special exception from the zoning board in R2 and rural zones. They are not allowed in R1, R1A, R1B, and R1U zones since July 1, 2024. Owner occupied guest rentals and guest rooms are allowed where single family homes are allowed. A guest house is not allowed in an ADU or its main house.

 

In R1, R1A, R1B, R1U, and R2 zones: a family related by blood up to first cousin, marriage, or adoption, plus up to two unrelated people. With no related family, up to three people including the owner. In R3W, R4W, PDMX, and PDRS zones: four people per unit and no more than two per bedroom. Airbnbs get no exception to these limits. Rentals in single family and R2 zones need an occupancy affidavit. Special exceptions have capped guests as conditions, such as eight people.

 

A guest rental can be rented up to 60 days per calendar year. A guest room is limited to two rooms. No cap on the number of permits.

 

Rentals must pass a city housing code inspection before they can be registered. It covers the outside, structure, plumbing, electrical, fire safety, space, and windows.

 

No outdoor signs, and the home must keep its look as a home. Special exceptions have set quiet hours (8 pm weekdays, 10 pm weekends) and gathering limits.

 

Rental registration requires owner or manager contact details. No 24 hour contact rule.

 

Zoning violations cost $50 to $1,500 each, and each day counts as a new violation. Violators also pay attorney fees and court costs.

 

2025