Massachusetts Short-Term Rental Laws by City (2026)
Short-term rental rules in Massachusetts are set city by city — a property that is legal to rent nightly in one town can be prohibited a few miles away. The table below covers 1 Massachusetts city (1 human-verified against official sources), with each city's legal status, permit cost, and last-verified date.
Statewide short-term rental rules in Massachusetts
Massachusetts allows short-term rentals statewide but requires every operator to register (for free) with the Department of Revenue via MassTaxConnect and appear on the state's public Short-Term Rental Registry, under the 2018 'Act Regulating and Insuring Short-Term Rentals' (effective July 1, 2019). Stays of 31 days or less pay the 5.7% state room occupancy excise, plus a local-option excise of up to 6% (6.5% in Boston), an optional community impact fee of up to 3%, and a 2.75% Cape Cod & Islands Water Protection Fund excise where applicable; platforms like Airbnb collect these on platform bookings. Operators must also carry $1,000,000 in liability coverage per rental unless the hosting platform provides equal or greater coverage. Massachusetts does NOT preempt local regulation — G.L. c. 64G § 14 expressly authorizes cities and towns to license, cap, inspect, and otherwise restrict operators. City and county rules apply on top of state law — check your local market's page.
Full statewide rules: permits, taxes & enforcement
Massachusetts allows short-term rentals statewide but requires every operator to register (for free) with the Department of Revenue via MassTaxConnect and appear on the state's public Short-Term Rental Registry, under the 2018 'Act Regulating and Insuring Short-Term Rentals' (effective July 1, 2019). Stays of 31 days or less pay the 5.7% state room occupancy excise, plus a local-option excise of up to 6% (6.5% in Boston), an optional community impact fee of up to 3%, and a 2.75% Cape Cod & Islands Water Protection Fund excise where applicable; platforms like Airbnb collect these on platform bookings. Operators must also carry $1,000,000 in liability coverage per rental unless the hosting platform provides equal or greater coverage. Massachusetts does NOT preempt local regulation — G.L. c. 64G § 14 expressly authorizes cities and towns to license, cap, inspect, and otherwise restrict operators. City and county rules apply on top of state law — check your local market's page.
Reviewed by the STR Rule Watch research team against 9 official sources. How we verify data
Massachusetts statewide STR rules at a glance
| Legal status | Allowed with permit |
|---|---|
| Permit required | Yes |
| Permit name | Massachusetts DOR Room Occupancy Excise registration / Certificate of Registration (public Short-Term Rental Registry) |
| Permit fee | $0 |
| Renewal | No renewal required |
| Total occupancy taxes | ~17.45% of gross revenue |
| Insurance | Yes — statewide mandate. G.L. c. 175 § 4F(b) (added by St. 2018, c. 337): 'An operator shall maintain liability insurance of not less than $1,000,000 to cover each short-term rental,' unless the rental is offered through a hosting platform that maintains equal or greater coverage; the coverage must defend and indemnify the operator and any tenants or owners in the building for bodily injury and property damage. Operators must also notify their homeowners/renters insurer of intent to operate an STR. |
| Enforcement | DOR enforces registration and tax collection (returns generally filed via MassTaxConnect; certificate of registration must be displayed). |
| Current rules effective | 2019-07-01 |
State law & local authority
No preemption — the opposite. G.L. c. 64G § 14 expressly empowers cities and towns to 'regulate the existence or location of operators... including regulating the class of operators and number of local licenses,' to 'require the licensing or registration of operators within the city or town,' to limit 'the number of days a person may operate and rent out an accommodation in a calendar year,' to 'require properties or premises... to undergo health and safety inspections' (at the operator's cost), and to set civil penalties and reasonable administrative fees. Zoning treatment is also local: the SJC held in Styller v. Zoning Bd. of Appeals of Lynnfield, 487 Mass. 588 (2021), that short-term rental use of a one-family home is inconsistent with single-residence zoning purposes, so many towns treat STRs as requiring zoning permission. Separately, the 2024 Affordable Homes Act lets designated 'seasonal communities' adopt year-round occupancy restrictions and bars STR use of certain newly built homes on undersized lots.
State-level taxes
| Tax | Rate | Who collects |
|---|---|---|
| State room occupancy exciseG.L. c. 64G § 3 sets 5% ('at the rate of 5 per cent of the total amount of rent') and an uncodified surtax adds 0.7%, for the 5.7% DOR-administered rate. Applies to STR stays of 31 days or less; no tax if daily rent is under $15; 14-day-per-year exemption available with a filed declaration. Intermediaries (Airbnb, Vrbo, agents) must register and collect/remit on bookings they facilitate; hosts remit on direct bookings. | 5.7% | varies |
| Local option room occupancy exciseState law (G.L. c. 64G § 3A) authorizes cities/towns to add up to 6% (6.5% for Boston); actual rate varies by municipality (0–6.5%). Collected by the platform on platform bookings, otherwise by the host. | 6% | varies |
| Community impact fee (local option)G.L. c. 64G § 3D lets municipalities impose up to 3% on 'professionally managed units' (operator with 2+ STR units in the same town, not in their own residence's building) and, at local option, on STRs in two- and three-family dwellings that include the operator's primary residence. | 3% | varies |
| Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund exciseG.L. c. 64G § 3C imposes a 2.75% excise on stays in member municipalities of the Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund. Airbnb and other registered intermediaries collect it where applicable. | 2.75% | varies |
Enforcement & penalties
DOR enforces registration and tax collection (returns generally filed via MassTaxConnect; certificate of registration must be displayed). The public Short-Term Rental Registry (licensing.reg.state.ma.us/strregistry) lets anyone verify a certificate by ID, address, or town — roughly 43,400 STRs were listed as of July 2024. Day-to-day operating enforcement (licensing, caps, inspections, zoning) happens at the municipal level under the authority granted by c. 64G § 14; towns must notify the DOR commissioner when they suspend or terminate a local license. Operators must post the location of fire extinguishers, gas shut-off valves, fire exits, and fire alarms inside each unit. In July–August 2025 the state Office of Public Safety and Inspections issued guidance on how the state building code applies to STRs in 1- and 2-family dwellings.
State law sets no STR-specific statewide fine schedule; unregistered or non-remitting operators face standard DOR tax penalties and interest under G.L. c. 62C. Municipalities are authorized by c. 64G § 14 to establish civil penalties for violations of local STR ordinances and to suspend or revoke local licenses.
Statewide sources
- St. 2018, c. 337 — An Act Regulating and Insuring Short-Term Rentals (Massachusetts Legislature)retrieved July 10, 2026
- M.G.L. c. 64G § 3 — Room occupancy excise rateretrieved July 10, 2026
- M.G.L. c. 64G § 14 — Municipal authority to regulate short-term rental operatorsretrieved July 10, 2026
- Room Occupancy Excise Tax | Mass.gov (Department of Revenue)retrieved July 10, 2026
- Massachusetts DOR — Short-term rentals frequently asked questions (Jan. 2019)retrieved July 10, 2026
- Massachusetts Short Term Rental Registry (public lookup)retrieved July 10, 2026
- Styller v. Zoning Board of Appeals of Lynnfield, 487 Mass. 588 (2021)retrieved July 10, 2026
- Airbnb Help — Occupancy tax collection and remittance in Massachusettsretrieved July 11, 2026
- TIR 19-3: Changes to the Room Occupancy Excise in An Act Regulating and Insuring Short-Term Rentals (Mass. DOR)retrieved July 11, 2026
| City | Status | Permit fee | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | Primary residence only | $200 | July 10, 2026 |
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This page is informational only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Regulations change frequently — verify current requirements with each jurisdiction before operating. HOA and condo rules may prohibit short-term rentals regardless of city law.