Haverhill, MA Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

Section 8.1.4 of the Haverhill Zoning Ordinance, amended by Doc. 15-B on March 18, 2025, directly targets short-term rental use of accessory dwelling units. The section states that an ADU cannot be used for boarding and lodging or other commercial use, and that both the ADU and the principal dwelling it is accessory to may be rented only for periods of 12 months or longer; renting either unit on a weekly or daily basis is expressly prohibited. That 12-month floor applies to the principal home as well as the ADU, so a homeowner cannot add an ADU to a property and then convert the main house into a short-term rental while renting the ADU long-term, or vice versa.

The restriction functions alongside Section 8.1.4's separate ownership rules, which require the ADU and principal dwelling to remain in common ownership and bar the two from being sold apart from one another. Section 8.1.3 gives the Building Commissioner a warrantless inspection right, on reasonable notice, to confirm compliance with these terms, and Section 8.1.7 makes the Building Commissioner responsible for enforcing the section, including issuing a cease-and-desist order against any use of the premises that violates it. Because the rule sits in the zoning ordinance rather than in a separate short-term rental registration chapter, a platform listing for a Haverhill ADU or its principal home for less than 12 months is a zoning violation, not merely a licensing gap.