Can I short-term rent in Cairns Region (Cairns Regional Council)?

Whole-home short-term letting (a single dwelling let out via Airbnb/Stayz) is not separately licensed by Council; it is governed only through the planning scheme's use definitions and code 9.2.17 above, plus standard rates and building rules. Verified directly against the primary page: it contains no mention of Airbnb, Stayz or STR registration, and states only that 'Shared facility accommodation (eg backpacker and youth hostels), caravan parks and camping grounds are regulated under Council's Local Law No. 6', confirming whole-home letting sits outside this permit regime.

Exceptions: Shared/dormitory-style accommodation businesses (hostels), caravan parks and camping grounds do require a Local Law No. 6 permit and annual health-licence renewal.

Code 9.2.17 applies whenever a development application is required for 'Multiple dwelling' or 'Short-term accommodation' use. Verified directly against the primary document: minimum site area 800m2 (AO2.1) and 15m frontage (AO2.2), site cover not more than 40% (AO3.1), setbacks not less than 6m road frontage (AO7.1), 4m rear (AO7.2), and 2m side for 1-2 storeys or 3m for 3-4 storeys (AO7.3), plus tropical-design and landscaping requirements. Maximum gross floor area (GFA) by zone under Table 9.2.17.3.b confirmed as: Low-medium density residential zone 0.8x site area, Medium density residential zone 1.2x site area, Tourist accommodation zone 1.2x site area, and no GFA maximum in other zones. The code itself does not state which zones require development approval (accepted vs code-assessable vs impact-assessable) for short-term letting of an existing single dwelling, that trigger sits in the scheme's Part 5 Tables of Assessment, which could not be retrieved as a standalone document this session (the combined Parts 1-10 PDF exceeds normal fetch size limits). Secondary commentary suggests short-term accommodation use in low-density residential zones may need development approval, but this remains unconfirmed against the primary Part 5 table.

Exceptions: GFA cap only applies in Low-medium density residential, Medium density residential and Tourist accommodation zones; no cap in other zones under this code.

Council's 2026-27 general rating categories are based on land use codes, not on whether a dwelling is Airbnb-let, confirmed directly against the primary statutory-information page, which lists no STR/holiday-letting differential category. A typical single dwelling or unit used for short-term letting stays in Residential Category A (0.005307 cents in the dollar, $1,165.50 minimum), Category K (community titles, 0.009443) or Category L (multi-unit dwellings, 0.007522), the same as any owner-occupied home. Only if a property is formally used/valued as land-use code '07 Guest house/private hotel' or '43 Motel' does it fall into Commercial Category D (0.015823, $1,201.10 minimum, inner city) or Category E (0.007097, $1,201.10 minimum, elsewhere), materially higher rates than residential.

Exceptions: Purpose-built guest houses, private hotels and motels (use codes 07/43) are rated as Commercial D or E, not Residential.

Local Law No. 5 (Temporary Homes and Camping) 2016, title and coverage confirmed directly against Council's local laws register, requires a permit for camping on private property for more than 4 weeks in a 12-month period, and for a temporary home (e.g. caravan) used on private land while a permanent dwelling is being built under a building approval. This is unrelated to letting a completed dwelling short-term to tourists but is sometimes confused with STR rules because it also uses the phrase 'short-term accommodation' informally on Council's website.