Where short-term rentals are allowed in Marblehead, OH
Most of Marblehead is closed to stays under 30 days by a zoning rule passed April 9, 2009. A home in a residential zone can still be rented for 30 consecutive days or more.[4]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Marblehead?
Your zoning decides
- Seasonal homes
- 700
- Housing units
- 1,128
- Residents
- 876
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleAllowed by zone
- City feeNone published
- Tax on each stay6%
- Seasonal homes621 per 1,000
Marblehead short-term rental rules
Zoning decides almost everything for a Marblehead short-term rental. Stays shorter than 30 consecutive days are barred in any dwelling unit or lodging unit outside the Business District. The one exception there is a bed and breakfast inn conditionally permitted in the Residential 1 District. That inn must be the owner's principal residence, with no more than four rooms for rent. Chapter 37 covers the rest. The village registers each lodging operator and levies 3% on rents from transient guests.[4]
What Marblehead asks of you
Section 154.039 reaches every zoning classification. No dwelling unit, structure or lodging unit may take a rental shorter than 30 consecutive days.[4]
Two exceptions apply. One is the Business District, the other a bed and breakfast conditionally permitted under Section 154.051.[4]
In the Residential 1 District, a bed and breakfast inn needs approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals as a conditional use.[4]
The inn must be run by the owner as a principal residence. No more than four rooms may be offered, each of at least 100 square feet.[4]
Rented rooms have no cooking facilities and no independent outside entrance. Parking takes one space per room, plus two for the owner.[4]
Section 154.039 comes from Ordinance 7 of 2009 and refers to Chapter 37 for the rules on transient rentals.[4]
Under Chapter 37, every lodging operator registers with the village fiscal officer within 30 days of starting business.[5]
The village then issues a transient occupancy registration certificate, posted on the premises. The certificate states that it is not a permit.[5]
Chapter 37 treats any place offering sleeping accommodations in at least one room as a hotel, cabins and condominiums included.[5]
Each calendar quarter's return is due by the last day of the following month.[5]
Marblehead's code, as published online, covers local legislation up to Ordinance 11-2023, passed September 27, 2023.[6]
What Ohio asks wherever you host
These rules apply at this address whatever the city decides.
A stay of under 30 days carries Ohio sales tax only when the facility has at least five sleeping rooms.[1]
Where that sales tax does apply, the state rate is 5.75%, and the seller needs a vendor's license before the first sale.[2]
Ohio law lets a county, township or city extend its lodging tax below that five-room line.[3]
What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Marblehead
Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.
| Layer | Rate | Remitted to |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa County lodging excise tax[7] | 3% | The county |
| Marblehead transient occupancy tax[5] | 3% | The city |
| Total on a taxable stay | 6% |
The village tax is a debt of the guest, collected by the operator and shown separately from the rent. Marblehead has levied it at 3% since January 1, 1991.[5]
Airbnb taxes for hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Marblehead is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 700 of Marblehead's 1,128 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 621 out of every 1,000. It ranks Marblehead 2nd of the 5 Ohio cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 2nd of 5
- Share of housing
- 621 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $376,400
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Marblehead sits among its neighbors
Port Clinton, OH
Certificate required
848 seasonal homes, 229 per 1,000 housing units.
Port Clinton short-term rental rulesKelleys Island, OH
Registration required
920 seasonal homes, 912 per 1,000 housing units.
Kelleys Island short-term rental rulesCincinnati, OH
Registration required
953 seasonal homes, 6 per 1,000 housing units.
Cincinnati short-term rental rulesCleveland, OH
Capped
1,151 seasonal homes, 6 per 1,000 housing units.
Cleveland short-term rental rulesFAQ
Marblehead short-term rental questions
Can I run an Airbnb in a Marblehead residential zone?
What does a Marblehead bed and breakfast need?
Which taxes apply to a stay in Marblehead?
Sources
- Sales and Use Taxability, lodging and storage, Ohio Department of Taxation, read on October 1, 2026
- Sales and Use Tax, state rate and vendor's license, Ohio Department of Taxation, read on October 1, 2026
- Ohio Revised Code section 5739.091, expansion of definition of hotel, Ohio Laws and Administrative Rules, Legislative Service Commission, read on October 1, 2026
- Code of Ordinances, Chapter 154, sections 154.039 and 154.051, Village of Marblehead, via American Legal Publishing, read on October 1, 2026
- Code of Ordinances, Chapter 37, Transient Occupancy Tax, Village of Marblehead, via American Legal Publishing, read on October 1, 2026
- Code of Ordinances, overview and supplement status, Village of Marblehead, via American Legal Publishing, read on October 1, 2026
- Short Term Rentals and Lodging Tax, Ottawa County Auditor, 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 cleaning checklist generator
Build a printable turnover checklist by room, with restock, photos to take and a place for the cleaner to sign. Free PDF, no sign-up.
Check-in instructions
The message a guest reads before getting in: access, keys, WiFi, parking, contact. English or bilingual output.