Cambridge, MA short-term rental registration
Under Cambridge zoning, a short-term rental is an accessory use of a home, so the operator lives in the unit or in the same building. Tenants can host with written consent from the owner, and from the condominium association where there is one. Hourly bookings and commercial meetings are banned.[4]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Cambridge?
Register before you list
What you apply for: Short-term rental certificate of registration
- Seasonal homes
- 1,271
- Housing units
- 54,840
- Residents
- 118,796
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleRegistration required
- City fee$500
- Tax on each stay14.45%
- Seasonal homes23 per 1,000
Cambridge MA short-term rental registration
Cambridge, MA sends every short-term rental through its Inspectional Services Department, which must issue a certificate of registration before renting starts. The fee is $500, or $100 a year over five years. A housing inspector visits before the certificate is issued. It then runs five years. A change of owner or operator ends it early. Two setups qualify. An operator-occupied rental is your own home, rented whole or by up to three bedrooms. An owner-adjacent rental is a whole unit in a building of up to four units, every one of them yours. Fines for violations can reach $300 a day.[5]
What Cambridge asks of you
Under Section 4.60 of the zoning ordinance, renting a whole unit or a bedroom for less than 30 consecutive days is a short-term rental.[4]
Only operator-occupied and owner-adjacent short-term rentals are permitted, as an accessory use in districts that allow housing.[4]
The operator is the owner or the primary leaseholder. A leaseholder needs written permission from the owner, plus the condominium association where there is one.[4]
An operator-occupied rental is the operator's primary residence, rented whole or as up to three individual bedrooms.[4]
An owner-adjacent rental is a whole unit in a building of no more than four units. The operator owns all of them and lives in one.[4]
Each operator may offer one operator-occupied unit and one owner-adjacent unit at most.[4]
When the operator is away more than seven consecutive days, the home goes to one party at a time, not room by room.[4]
Rentals by the hour, or shorter than ten consecutive hours, are not allowed. Commercial meetings and uses are prohibited.[4]
Before issuing or renewing a certificate, Inspectional Services inspects each unit, down to every bedroom. Renewal comes every five years, sooner if the operator or owner changes.[4]
The $500 fee is paid at filing or as $100 a year over five years. A missed payment revokes the certificate immediately.[5]
The application includes proof of liability insurance and a floor plan of the unit. Written approval from the owner or condominium association goes with it, plus proof of primary residence.[5]
Owner-adjacent units post the certificate and an emergency exit diagram. Guests also receive waste disposal instructions and a local contact.[4]
A code violation or a breach of the ordinance can cost as much as $300 a day in fines.[5]
Petitions to amend Section 4.60 in 2025 and 2026 both ended with no action taken. The 2017 text remains in force.[7]
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 Cambridge
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 |
| Cambridge local room occupancy excise[8] | 6% | The city |
| Convention center financing fee[1] | 2.75% | The state revenue department |
| Total on a taxable stay | 14.45% |
Since July 1, 2019, Cambridge has charged a 3% community impact fee on short-term rentals, under both state options. One option reaches a unit in a two- or three-family home where the operator lives.[8]
Airbnb taxes for hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Cambridge is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 1,271 of Cambridge's 54,840 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 23 out of every 1,000. It ranks Cambridge 2nd of the 3 Massachusetts cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 2nd of 3
- Share of housing
- 23 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $1,092,100
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Cambridge sits among its neighbors
Barnstable, MA
Registration required
5,366 seasonal homes, 194 per 1,000 housing units.
Barnstable short-term rental rulesBoston, MA
Registration required
4,589 seasonal homes, 15 per 1,000 housing units.
Boston short-term rental rulesShow Low, AZ
Permit required
2,296 seasonal homes, 296 per 1,000 housing units.
Show Low short-term rental rulesMammoth Lakes, CA
Allowed by zone
5,531 seasonal homes, 573 per 1,000 housing units.
Mammoth Lakes short-term rental rulesFAQ
Cambridge short-term rental questions
Can I rent my whole Cambridge apartment while I travel?
Can a tenant run a short-term rental in Cambridge?
How long does a Cambridge certificate of registration last?
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
- Ordinance Number 1397, Zoning Ordinance Section 4.60, Short-Term Rentals, City of Cambridge, read on October 1, 2026
- Short-Term Rental Guide, Inspectional Services Department, City of Cambridge, read on October 1, 2026
- Register a Short-Term Rental, City of Cambridge, read on October 1, 2026
- Past Zoning Amendments Not Adopted, Community Development Department, City of Cambridge, 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.
Airbnb host fee calculator
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.
Airbnb profit calculator
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.
Airbnb house rules
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