Can I Airbnb in Ocean City, MD? (2026)

Short-term rentals (30 consecutive days or fewer) are legal town-wide in Ocean City, MD, but every rental property must hold an annual Rental License & Noise Control Permit plus a supplemental Short-Term Rental License — $246 total per unit, renewing each May 1. The biggest restriction is in the R-1 single-family and MH mobile-home districts, where overnight occupancy (midnight–7 a.m.) is capped at 2 persons per bedroom plus 2, and where a moratorium on new STR licenses ran through early 2026 until the council repealed it on February 17, 2026 after a citizen petition; a proposed 5-night minimum stay was rejected by voters in a July 2025 referendum, so there is currently no minimum-stay rule. Always confirm current requirements with the city before operating.

What’s required: a Rental License & Noise Control Permit plus Short-Term Rental License (Short-Term Rental Housing Unit additional fee) ($246) is required; occupancy taxes apply; renew annual.