How to get a short-term rental permit in Ocean City, MD (2026)
Ocean City requires Rental License & Noise Control Permit plus Short-Term Rental License (Short-Term Rental Housing Unit additional fee) — the fee is $246, renewed annual. Here's how to get and keep it.
Permit at a glance
| Permit required | Yes |
|---|---|
| Permit name | Rental License & Noise Control Permit plus Short-Term Rental License (Short-Term Rental Housing Unit additional fee) |
| Permit fee | $246 |
| Renewal | Annual |
Step by step
- 1
Confirm your property is eligible
Confirm the property's zoning allows short-term rentals. STR licenses are issued town-wide, including the R-1 Single Family Residential and MH Mobile Home districts. In R-1/MH, rental-housing occupancy is limited to 2 persons per bedroom plus 2 additional persons (excluding children 10 and younger) between midnight and 7:00 a.m. (Code Sec. 14-177); all other districts use a 40-sq-ft-of-floor-area-per-person standard. A moratorium on NEW STR licenses in R-1/MH (emergency moratorium approved Feb. 3, 2025, extended Dec. 1, 2025 through Jan. 3, 2027) was repealed by the Mayor and Council on Feb. 17, 2026 after a validated referendum petition, so new STR license applications in R-1/MH have resumed. A proposed replacement ordinance capping R-1/MH STR licenses at 10% of improved properties (about 375 licenses) was dropped by the council without action at its Feb. 10, 2026 work session. A 5-night minimum stay for R-1/MH (Ordinance 2025-04, escalating to 31 nights in 2027) was rejected by voters 834-800 in a July 22, 2025 referendum and never took effect.
- 2
Apply for the Rental License & Noise Control Permit plus Short-Term Rental License (Short-Term Rental Housing Unit additional fee)
Submit the Rental License & Noise Control Permit plus Short-Term Rental License (Short-Term Rental Housing Unit additional fee) application to Ocean City and pay the $246 fee. Per Resolution 2025-01 fee schedule: base rental license (condo unit, single-family home, timeshare, or rooming house) is $196.00 including the $25 Noise Control Permit; renting for 30 consecutive days or fewer requires the Short-Term Rental Housing Unit additional fee of $50.00, for a $246.00 total. Apartment buildings and hotels/motels pay $196 plus $8.00 per sleeping room. Licenses issued between December 1 and May 1 are half-year at half fee. Late charge of 10% after 15 days plus 2% every 30 days thereafter (Code Sec. 14-34).
- 3
Register for occupancy taxes
Register to collect and remit the applicable lodging/occupancy taxes for Ocean City. Some are collected automatically by the booking platform and some you may need to remit yourself.
- 4
Renew on schedule
The permit renews annual — set a reminder so it never lapses, since operating on an expired permit typically triggers fines.
STR rules change without warning.
Get an email the moment Ocean City changes its short-term rental rules — plus renewal reminders before your permit expires.
Watch Ocean City for changes →Free monthly digest · same-day alerts from $5/mo · cancel anytime
Keep going
Verified July 13, 2026. Informational only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Permit requirements and fees change; confirm current requirements with Ocean City before applying.