Short-Term Rental Management in Springfield, MA

Why Guests Come to Springfield

• The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. James Naismith invented basketball in Springfield, and the Hall of Fame on Hall of Fame Avenue has been here since 1968. Enshrinement weekend and tournaments bring fans and families.
• MGM Springfield. The casino resort opened downtown on August 24, 2018, with a 250-room hotel, a 125,000-square-foot gaming floor, a movie theater, restaurants and shops.
• Baystate Medical Center. The 716-bed academic medical center on Chestnut Street is the only Level 1 trauma center with pediatric designation in western Massachusetts. Visiting clinicians, students and patients' families need places to stay for days or weeks.
• The Big E. The Eastern States Exposition runs 17 days in neighboring West Springfield; in 2026 it ran September 18 through October 4.
• Interstate 91 and the Pike. Springfield sits where I-91 meets the Massachusetts Turnpike, which makes it a stopover city for road trips and a base for exploring the Pioneer Valley.

The Springfield Rental Year

Springfield's demand is less seasonal than the Berkshires'. Hospital stays, business travel and casino weekends run all year. Late September is the standout stretch because of the Big E, and fall and spring add college visits at schools across the area. Summer brings sports and family travel to the Hall of Fame. Winter is the slowest period for leisure guests, though medical and work stays carry on. Because Springfield limits unoccupied rentals to 90 days a year (below), many owners here look at longer furnished stays as well; see our mid-term rentals guide.

Short-Term Rental Rules in Springfield

The City Council adopted Chapter 238, Short-Term Rentals, on October 5, 2020. It applies in all zones and defines a short-term rental as a stay of fewer than 31 consecutive days. As of October 2026, the ordinance says:

• Only three kinds of unit qualify. A home share unit (your primary residence), a limited share unit (rooms in your primary residence while you are present, with one bedroom kept for you), or an owner-adjacent unit (another unit in the two- or three-family building where you live and own every unit). A primary residence means living there at least nine months out of twelve. A house no owner lives in does not qualify.
• One operator per unit. The operator must be a natural person who owns the unit or an interest in the entity that owns it, and only one owner may register.
• Day and guest limits. Rooms in your occupied home can be rented 365 days a year. When you are not present, the unit can be rented no more than 90 days a year in total. Guests are capped at eight, or two per guest bedroom, whichever is fewer, and no more than four bedrooms at a time. One party at a time; no hourly rentals or stays under 10 hours; no commercial meetings.
• Registration and inspection. Register with the city's Code Enforcement Department before you start, with a floor plan showing bedroom sizes, egress windows and exits, bathrooms and proposed beds. The city inspects before registration and annually at renewal. Registrations run January 1 to December 31.
• Fees. A $200 application fee, then a $100 annual registration fee due January 2.
• Parking and neighbors. A guest parking plan must be approved by the Planning Department before a permit issues, and within 30 days of approval you must notify residential abutters within 300 feet.
• Posting. A sign inside the entry level with trash and recycling instructions, parking rules including snow emergencies, the noise ordinance and local contact details, plus a laminated egress plan in every bedroom.
• Violations. Three violations in six months make every unit on the property ineligible for six months.

The ordinance also lets the city cap the number of registrations by neighborhood or radius. Contact the Code Enforcement Department; Springfield residents can also reach city departments through 311.

State tax. Springfield's local room excise is 5%, in effect since October 2012, per the state databank, and Springfield is one of the cities where the 2.75% convention center financing fee applies. With the 5.7% state excise, a Springfield stay carries 13.45% in room taxes. No community impact fee is listed. See the room occupancy tax page and the Massachusetts short-term rental laws page.

Running a Rental in Springfield

• Plan around the owner-occupancy rule. In practice, Springfield rentals are rooms in your home, your home while you travel (up to 90 days), or the other unit of a two- or three-family you live in.
• Snow emergencies. The ordinance makes you post the city's parking rules and snow emergency information for guests; on-street parking during a storm is the most common winter problem.
• Fire safety. A working smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector and fire extinguisher are required on the premises, in each bedroom and common area.
• Keep records. The city can ask for proof of residency and the number of days the unit was rented, so keep them.

How New England Host Co Works in Springfield

New England Host Co manages short-term rentals across Massachusetts, including our home market around Worcester, and every home must be within 45 minutes of its crew's base; send us your Springfield address and we will confirm. If your unit qualifies under Chapter 238, we can run the listing, daily PriceLabs pricing, guest messaging and housekeeping with an inspection after every stay; if you live on site and want to stay hands-on, co-hosting is the other option. Start on the contact page. Nearby towns are on our Western Mass and Berkshires page.

FAQ

Can I Airbnb an Investment Property in Springfield?

Not as a whole-home short-term rental unless an owner lives on the property. Chapter 238 allows only home share units, limited share units and owner-adjacent units in an owner-occupied two- or three-family.

How Many Nights a Year Can I Rent My Springfield Home?

Rooms in your home while you are there: year-round. The whole unit while you are away: no more than 90 days a year in total.

What Does Registration Cost?

A $200 application fee, then $100 a year, with an inspection before registration and at each annual renewal.

What Is the Room Tax in Springfield?

As of October 2026: 5.7% state, 5% local and the 2.75% convention center financing fee, 13.45% in total.

This page is general information as of October 2026, not legal or tax advice; confirm with the City of Springfield before you list.