Boston, MA short-term rental registration
Boston has no registration for an investor unit. Every short-term rental is linked to the owner's primary residence, a home lived in nine months out of twelve. A tenant cannot register either, since the operator must be an owner.[4]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Boston?
Register before you list
What you apply for: Short-term rental registration, Short-Term Rental Registry
- Seasonal homes
- 4,589
- Housing units
- 310,625
- Residents
- 666,442
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleRegistration required
- City fee$200
- Tax on each stay14.95%
- Seasonal homes15 per 1,000
Boston short-term rental rules
Hosting in Boston starts with registering the unit at the Inspectional Services Department, under city code section 9-14. Three unit types qualify. A limited share unit is part of your home, rented while you are there, for $25 a year. A home share unit is your whole home, for $200 a year. An owner-adjacent unit is another unit of your own two- or three-family building, where you also live. It costs $200 too. The registration number must appear on every listing. Renting without registration is fined $100 per violation per day, and an ineligible unit $300 per violation per day.[4]
What Boston asks of you
Section 9-14 of the city code took effect on January 1, 2019. No residential unit may be offered as a short-term rental except in compliance with it.[6]
The code counts any paid use of a residential unit for fewer than 28 consecutive calendar days as a short-term rental.[4]
The operator must be a natural person who owns the unit. Only one owner per unit can register.[4]
Primary residence means living in the unit at least nine months out of twelve. Two documents prove it, such as a utility bill, a deed or a driver's license.[4]
A limited share unit takes up to three guest bedrooms or six guests, whichever is less. One bedroom stays reserved for the operator.[4]
A home share unit takes up to five bedrooms or ten guests, whichever is less.[4]
An owner-adjacent unit must sit in a two- or three-family building where the same owner-occupant owns every unit.[4]
Inspectional Services allows units only in owner-occupied condominiums and in one- to three-family buildings.[5]
You may offer one whole unit at a time. With a home share and an owner-adjacent unit, you cannot rent both while you are away.[5]
Income-restricted units are ineligible. So are problem properties, and units with three violations within six months.[4]
The annual fee is $25 for a limited share unit. It is $200 for a home share or owner-adjacent unit. Registrations run from January 1 to December 31.[4]
When you are not present, a local contact has to respond in person within two hours. Their phone line stays active 24 hours a day.[4]
Within 30 days of approval, you notify every residential dwelling within 300 feet that the unit is registered.[4]
A sign inside the unit shows where the fire extinguishers are, plus the fire exits and pull alarms in the building.[4]
Registration does not transfer when the unit is sold. The new owner registers again for a new number.[4]
Once registration is paid, you also need a business certificate from the City Clerk's office.[5]
Renting an ineligible unit is fined $300 per violation per day. Renting an eligible unit without registration costs $100 per violation per day.[4]
What Massachusetts asks wherever you host
These rules apply at this address whatever the city decides.
Every operator registers with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, including one who rents only through a platform. Each property then receives its own certificate, to be posted inside the home.[1]
State law asks for $1,000,000 of liability insurance on each rental. Coverage held by the booking platform counts when it is equal or greater.[2]
Under chapter 64G, the city or town decides the rest. It can license operators, cap how many it allows and limit rental days in a calendar year.[3]
What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Boston
Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.
| Layer | Rate | Remitted to |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts room occupancy excise[1] | 5.7% | The state revenue department |
| Boston local room occupancy excise[7] | 6.5% | The city |
| Convention center financing fee[1] | 2.75% | The state revenue department |
| Total on a taxable stay | 14.95% |
Boston also charges the 3% short-term rental community impact fee, in force since July 1, 2019. The city adopted both options, so units in two- and three-family homes are covered.[7]
Airbnb taxes for hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Boston is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 4,589 of Boston's 310,625 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 15 out of every 1,000. It ranks Boston 3rd of the 3 Massachusetts cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 3rd of 3
- Share of housing
- 15 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $731,700
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Boston sits among its neighbors
Cambridge, MA
Registration required
1,271 seasonal homes, 23 per 1,000 housing units.
Cambridge short-term rental rulesBarnstable, MA
Registration required
5,366 seasonal homes, 194 per 1,000 housing units.
Barnstable short-term rental rulesCarefree, AZ
License required
444 seasonal homes, 192 per 1,000 housing units.
Carefree short-term rental rulesFAQ
Boston short-term rental questions
Can I rent out a Boston condo I do not live in?
How much is Boston short-term rental registration?
What is the fine for an unregistered Boston short-term rental?
Sources
- Room Occupancy Excise Tax, Massachusetts Department of Revenue, read on October 1, 2026
- Short-Term Rental Insurance, Massachusetts Division of Insurance, read on October 1, 2026
- General Laws chapter 64G, section 14, local regulation of operators, Massachusetts Legislature, read on October 1, 2026
- Boston Municipal Code, section 9-14, Short-Term Residential Rentals, City of Boston (American Legal Publishing), read on October 1, 2026
- Short-Term Rentals, Inspectional Services, City of Boston, read on October 1, 2026
- An Ordinance Allowing Short-Term Residential Rentals in the City of Boston, City of Boston, read on October 1, 2026
- Room Occupancy Tax and Short-term Rental Community Impact Fee, local options data, Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Division of Local Services, read on October 1, 2026
This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 1, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.
Before you list
Free tools for new hosts
Short-term rental agreement generator
Parties, dates, rent, deposit checked against your state's cap, and the house rules clauses you enforce. A signed-ready PDF for direct and Vrbo bookings.
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What Airbnb takes on a booking under the 15.5% host-only fee or the old split fee, what the guest pays on top, and the payout that reaches you.
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Nightly rate, occupancy, Airbnb fee, management, mortgage, taxes and depreciation. You get cash flow, cash-on-cash return and what is left after the IRS.
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