What Concord's Zoning Code Covers
Concord's zoning ordinance is Chapter 28 of the city's Code of Ordinances, codified (as of the online edition we read in October 2026) through Ordinance No. 3200, adopted June 4, 2026. A full-text search of the code for "short-term" finds no short-term rental use or definition, only unrelated references.
The ordinance works from two tables in Section 28-2-4: a Table of Principal Uses and a Table of Accessory Uses. Each use is marked for each district as:
- P: permitted by right
- SE: permitted by special exception from the Zoning Board of Adjustment
- CU: permitted by conditional use permit from the Planning Board
- Dash: not permitted in that district
What Happens to a Use the Code Doesn't List
Section 28-2-4(e), "Administrative Classification of Uses Not Specified," covers exactly this situation. When a proposed use is not specified in either table, the Deputy City Manager for Development (or a designee) decides how to classify it. In practice, that means the city decides which listed use your rental most resembles, and the rules for that use apply.
Two definitions in the code's glossary will likely matter in that decision:
- Dwelling Unit: "Any room or suite of rooms forming a habitable unit for one family, with its own cooking and food storage equipment, its own bathing and toilet facilities, and its own living, sleeping and eating areas."
- Bed and Breakfast: "A type of lodging facility wherein a single-family dwelling is used to provide rooming units for transient lodging and which may provide limited food service for guests or lodgers."
The code also defines an Inn and a Hotel as commercial establishments containing rooming units for transient lodging. Whether renting your whole house by the night is treated as ordinary residential use, as a bed and breakfast, or as something else is a question for the city, not for a listing site.
Bed and Breakfasts: Where and How
Because it is the use closest to a homeowner hosting guests, here is how Concord treats a bed and breakfast as of October 2026.
| District | Bed and breakfast |
|---|---|
| RO (open space residential), RM (medium density residential) | Conditional use permit |
| RS (single-family residential) | Not permitted |
| RN (neighborhood residential), RD (downtown residential), RH (high density residential) | Special exception |
| CN (neighborhood commercial) | Permitted |
| CVP (civic performance), IS (institutional) | Permitted |
| UT (urban transitional) | Special exception |
| CG, CU, CH, CBP, GWP, OCP, OFP, IN | Not permitted |
Section 28-5-16 then adds standards for all lodging facilities and for bed and breakfasts in particular:
- Municipal water and sewer: all lodging facilities must be served by them. A house on a private well and septic system does not qualify.
- Room size: each lodging unit needs at least 180 square feet of habitable floor space.
- Owner on site: the dwelling must be the principal residence of the operator or owner.
- Size cap: no more than six lodging units.
- Meals: offered only to lodgers or guests.
If you live in your Concord home, have city water and sewer, and want to host a few rooms, the bed and breakfast route is well defined. If you want to rent out a whole house you do not live in, the B&B rules do not describe your plan, which is why the classification question comes first.
Property Maintenance and Safety
Concord has adopted the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code with local amendments (Chapter 27 of the city code). Any home where guests sleep should already meet its basics: working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, safe egress from bedrooms, safe heating, and sanitary conditions. Our insurance and safety page has a checklist.
Questions to Ask, and Whom to Call
Send your question in writing with your address and zoning district (shown on the city's GIS map). Ask:
- Is renting my whole home, or a room in it, for stays under 30 nights a permitted use in my district?
- If not listed, how would the Deputy City Manager for Development classify it under Section 28-2-4(e), and can I have that determination in writing?
- Would my plan be treated as a bed and breakfast, and if so, does it need a special exception or conditional use permit in my district?
- Are there inspections or permits from Code Administration I should expect?
As of October 2026, the city's staff directory lists:
- Planning Division (zoning, Planning and Zoning Inspector): 603-225-8515
- Code Administration: 603-225-8580
Thirty Nights and Longer
Concord is the state capital, and some owners look at furnished stays of a month or more instead of nightly rentals. Longer stays raise their own questions, including when a guest becomes a tenant under New Hampshire law and how the state rooms tax treats stays approaching 185 consecutive days. See mid-term rentals in New England.
State Rules Apply Everywhere in New Hampshire
Whatever the city decides on zoning, you also need the state's Meals and Rooms operator license and must account for the 8.5% rooms tax on stays under 185 consecutive days. Airbnb and Vrbo collect the tax on their own bookings, but the license stays your job; see the New Hampshire rooms tax page. For the court decisions and bills that shape how New Hampshire towns write these rules, read New Hampshire short-term rental laws. Condo owners should check their association documents as well: HOA and condo rules.
A Note on New England Host Co
New England Host Co manages vacation rentals in Southern New Hampshire, the Lakes Region, Central Massachusetts and Southern Vermont, with every home within 45 minutes of its crew's base. If you are working out whether your Concord property can be rented, the full owner guide is a good next step, or contact us to talk it through.
This page is general information, not legal advice; check with the City of Concord or a professional before you rent.
FAQ
Are Short-Term Rentals Allowed in Concord, NH?
Concord's zoning code does not list short-term rental as a use. Unlisted uses are classified by the Deputy City Manager for Development under Section 28-2-4(e), so ask the Planning Division for a written answer for your address.
Can I Run a Bed and Breakfast in Concord?
Yes, in some districts. It must be the owner's or operator's principal residence, have no more than six lodging units, and be served by municipal water and sewer. It is not permitted in the RS district.
Who Do I Call About Short-Term Rental Zoning in Concord?
The Planning Division at 603-225-8515. Code Administration (603-225-8580) handles building and property maintenance questions.
Does Concord Charge Its Own Lodging Tax?
No. The tax on short stays in Concord is the state's 8.5% Meals and Rooms (Rentals) Tax, administered by the NH Department of Revenue Administration.
