Who Regulates Short-Term Rentals in Boston
Boston regulates short-term rentals through its Short-Term Rental Ordinance (Chapter 9-14 of the City Code), adopted in 2018 and administered by the Housing Division of Inspectional Services (ISD). Every host must register with ISD before listing, and the state's tax registration with the Department of Revenue (DOR) sits on top of that.
The ordinance defines a short-term rental as the use of a residential unit for residential occupancy for fewer than 28 consecutive calendar days, for a fee. Stays of 28 days or longer fall outside it (more on that below).
If you are new to the state-level picture, read our Massachusetts short-term rental laws page first. Boston layers its own, stricter rules on top.
The Three License Types
According to ISD's program page, read on 7 October 2026, short-term rentals are allowed only in owner-occupied condominiums and owner-occupied single-, two- and three-family buildings. There are three types of registration:
| Type | What it is | Annual fee | Occupancy cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited share | A private bedroom in the owner's primary residence, with the owner present during the stay | $25 | 3 guest bedrooms or 6 guests, whichever is fewer |
| Home share | The whole unit that is the owner's primary residence; the owner does not need to be present | $200 | 5 bedrooms or 10 guests, whichever is fewer |
| Owner-adjacent | The entire second unit in an owner-occupied two- or three-family building | $200 | Not stated on the program page |
Lodging houses and bed and breakfasts must also register, with no registration fee, per the same page.
There is no investor category. A condo you bought to rent, a second home in the city, or an apartment you rent from someone else cannot be registered as a short-term rental.
What "Primary Residence" Means
ISD requires that the owner live in the property for at least nine months out of a 12-month period. You prove it with at least two of the following:
- Proof of the residential exemption on your property tax bill
- A utility bill (gas, electric, oil or water)
- A voter registration certificate
- A motor vehicle registration
- The deed
- A driver's license or state ID
Units That Cannot Register
Even an owner-occupied unit is ineligible if, per ISD:
- It is subject to an affordability covenant or income restriction
- It is in a building the city has designated a Problem Property
- It has had three or more violations within a six-month period (noise, trash, disorderly conduct, or building or fire code)
- It falls in a non-residential classification such as a hotel, congregate living, elderly housing, a group home or a shelter
- It is subject to another law that prohibits short-term rental use
A license is suspended for as long as a qualifying violation exists. ISD also publishes a short-term rental eligibility dataset on the city's open data site, linked from the program page. Check your address there before you buy furniture or book a photographer.
What a Registered Host Must Do
Once registered, ISD's program page lists these host responsibilities:
- Show the registration number on every listing. Airbnb, Vrbo and every other site.
- Get a business certificate from the City Clerk after ISD approves the registration.
- Name a local contact who can respond in person within two hours of being notified of a problem.
- Post interior signs showing where the fire extinguishers, exits and alarms are.
- Notify abutters within 300 feet within 30 days of being licensed.
- Do not rent more than one whole unit at a time.
- Renew every year. A license does not transfer when the property is sold.
The state adds its own layer: DOR requires every operator to register each property on MassTaxConnect, post the Certificate of Registration in the unit, and give the certificate number (not the account number) to any platform that collects rent for you.
Platforms and Enforcement
Boston's ordinance reaches the booking platforms as well as hosts. In Airbnb, Inc. v. City of Boston (D. Mass., order of May 3, 2019), the federal court quoted the ordinance's penalty provision: a booking agent that accepts a fee for booking an ineligible unit "shall be fined three hundred dollars ($300) per violation per day," and for hosts who offer an ineligible unit, each day's failure to comply with a notice of violation counts as a separate violation. The court declined to block that penalty provision, but did preliminarily block a separate enforcement section and parts of the monthly data-reporting requirement. WBUR reported in January 2020 that Airbnb and the city settled in August 2019, that Airbnb agreed to remove unregistered Boston listings by December 1, 2019, and that the city had issued fines ranging from $100 to $300.
In plain terms: an unregistered listing is likely to be removed by the platform, and running an ineligible unit can draw daily fines. ISD's program page does not list fine amounts, so treat the $300 figure as the amount the court quoted from the 2018 ordinance, and ask ISD for the current schedule.
The World Cup question. In January 2026, WBUR reported that Airbnb had asked Boston for a temporary "special event exemption" for the World Cup matches at Gillette Stadium. As of 7 October 2026, the ISD program page shows the same owner-occupied rules and no event exemption.
Boston's Room Tax Stack
Boston short-term rentals of 31 days or less pay the Massachusetts room occupancy excise plus local layers. As of October 2026:
| Layer | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State room occupancy excise | 5.7% | DOR |
| Boston local option excise | 6.5% (effective July 1, 2019) | DLS Municipal Databank |
| Convention center financing fee | 2.75% | DOR |
| Total on most Boston short-term rentals | 14.95% | |
| Community impact fee, where it applies | 3% (effective July 1, 2019) | DLS Municipal Databank |
Boston has adopted the community impact fee for both professionally managed units and units in owner-occupied two- or three-family houses. DOR defines a professionally managed unit as one of two or more short-term rental units in the same city with the same operator, outside a one- to three-family dwelling that includes the operator's primary residence. In practice, an owner-adjacent unit in your two- or three-family usually carries the extra 3%.
When a platform collects the rent, it also collects and remits these taxes, and you do not report rent it collected. For direct bookings, you file monthly on MassTaxConnect, with returns due by the 30th day after the month. The full mechanics are on our Massachusetts room occupancy tax page.
The 28-Night Line and Longer Stays
Because the ordinance stops at 28 consecutive days, owners of Boston units that are not their primary residence often rent furnished for a month or more instead, to traveling clinicians, visiting faculty or people relocating. That is legal under the short-term rental ordinance, but it is not a loophole free of rules: longer stays raise landlord-tenant questions, and DOR's room tax applies to short-term rentals of 31 days or less, so a 28 to 31 night stay can still be taxable. Read our mid-term rentals guide before you go this route, and get advice on lease terms.
Before You List in Boston
- Check eligibility in the ISD dataset and confirm you meet the nine-month residence test.
- Read your condo documents. Many Boston associations restrict rentals in the master deed or rules, and city registration does not override them. Our HOA and condo rules guide explains what to look for.
- Register with DOR on MassTaxConnect and get your certificate number.
- Apply to ISD, then get the business certificate from the City Clerk.
- Line up your local contact for the two-hour response rule.
For what a Boston rental year looks like (hospitals, universities, the Marathon, the regatta, snow emergencies), see our Boston location page and the wider Greater Boston page.
Where New England Host Co Fits
New England Host Co's service area includes Massachusetts statewide, with every home within 45 minutes of its crew's base, so send the address and we will tell you if it fits. Registration and license fees stay with the owner. Learn how the whole process works in our guide to renting your home on Airbnb.
FAQ
Can I Airbnb a Boston Condo I Do Not Live In?
Not for stays under 28 nights. As of October 2026, Boston only registers short-term rentals in the owner's primary residence or the second unit of an owner-occupied two- or three-family.
How Much Is a Boston Short-Term Rental License?
$25 a year for a limited share, $200 a year for a home share or owner-adjacent unit, per ISD's program page in October 2026. Registration is renewed every year.
Can I Rent Out My Whole Boston Home While I Travel?
Yes, if it is your primary residence (at least nine months a year) and you register a home share. The cap is 5 bedrooms or 10 guests, whichever is fewer.
What Room Tax Applies in Boston?
14.95% on most stays of 31 days or less: 5.7% state, 6.5% local and the 2.75% convention center fee. Add 3% for a professionally managed unit or a unit in an owner-occupied two- or three-family.
What Happens If I List Without Registering?
Under its 2019 settlement with the city, Airbnb agreed to remove unregistered Boston listings, and the ordinance provides for fines, quoted by the federal court as $300 per violation per day. Ask ISD for the current schedule.
This page is general information as of October 2026, not legal or tax advice; check with Boston ISD or a professional before you list.
Sources
- Short-Term Rentals, City of Boston Inspectional Services
- Room Occupancy Excise Tax, Massachusetts Department of Revenue
- Room Tax and Impact Fee Rates, DLS Municipal Databank
- Airbnb, Inc. v. City of Boston, Order on Motion for Preliminary Injunction (D. Mass. 2019)
- Airbnb removes Boston listings, WBUR (January 2020)
- World Cup, Boston and Airbnb rules, WBUR (January 2026)
