Short-Term Rentals in Nashua, NH (2026)

10 verified short-term rentals rules for Nashua, New Hampshire, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.

Verified from official government sources

Permit Requirements

The City of Nashua does not have a stand-alone short-term rental (STR) permit, license, or registration program in its municipal code or its Chapter 190 Land Use Code. New Hampshire has no statewide STR licensing scheme and no statewide preemption either way - RSA 31:39 leaves the question of local STR regulation to each municipality, and Nashua's Board of Aldermen has not adopted an STR-specific chapter as of the date of this entry. The only mandatory operator credential is the statewide Meals and Rooms (Rentals) License issued by the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration (NH DRA) under RSA 78-A, which every operator renting accommodations for fewer than 185 consecutive days must obtain before advertising or accepting bookings. STR uses are subject to the underlying use restrictions of the dwelling unit's zoning district in Chapter 190 of the Nashua Revised Ordinances, plus generally applicable health, building, fire, noise (Chapter 201), and housing (Chapter 182) codes.

Nashua Has No Dedicated Short-Term Rental Permit or License; Only State Meals & Rentals (M&R) License Under RSA 78-A Is Required

Few Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Noise Rules

Nashua does not impose any short-term-rental-specific noise rules because the city has no STR ordinance. STR guests are subject to the citywide Chapter 201 Noise Ordinance (Ord. No. O-05-96, adopted by the Board of Aldermen 8-9-2005), which prohibits yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling, or singing on public streets between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. or at any time so as to annoy or disturb the quiet, comfort, or repose of persons in neighboring premises. Motor-vehicle sound systems audible more than 50 feet from the vehicle are also prohibited. Construction work in residential zones or within 600 feet of a dwelling is restricted by Chapter 128 to weekdays between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. (with limits on weekends). Violations carry fines of not less than $100 and a written cease-or-abate order, enforced by the Nashua Police Department.

Nashua STR Guests Subject to Citywide Chapter 201 Noise Ordinance; No STR-Specific Quiet Hours, But 11 PM - 7 AM Disturbance Rule and Construction Limits Apply

Some Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Taxes & Fees

Short-term rentals in Nashua are taxed solely under the New Hampshire Meals and Rooms (Rentals) Tax in RSA Chapter 78-A. The current rate is 8.5% of the gross rental charge for any accommodation rented for fewer than 185 consecutive days (rate reduced from 9% effective October 1, 2021 by HB2 (2021)). New Hampshire has no general sales tax, no income tax on wages, no city lodging tax in Nashua, and no Nashua STR permit fee (because no STR permit exists). Operators must register for an NH DRA Meals and Rooms License under RSA 78-A:4 through the Granite Tax Connect portal, collect 8.5% from every guest, and remit monthly under RSA 78-A:8. Under RSA 78-A:6, V every STR advertisement must display the operator's M&R license number. Under RSA 78-A:25 the state distributes a portion of M&R revenue back to municipalities (the catalyst fund), so Nashua receives indirect benefit from STR operations.

Nashua STRs Owe Only NH 8.5% Meals & Rooms (Rentals) Tax Under RSA 78-A; No City Lodging Tax, No City Permit Fee, No Sales / Income Tax

Some Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Parking Rules

Nashua does not impose any short-term-rental-specific parking requirement because the city has no STR ordinance. The only operative parking rules are the off-street parking standards in Chapter 190 (Land Use Code) for the dwelling unit's underlying residential or lodging use - typically one to two off-street spaces per dwelling unit depending on district and unit type. Guest vehicles use lawful on-street parking subject to citywide rules in Chapter 280 (Vehicles and Traffic), including posted time limits, winter parking bans (Chapter 280, Article IV - November 15 through April 15), and street-cleaning restrictions. There is no STR-specific per-bedroom parking ratio, no STR parking plan requirement, and no permit-condition parking standard.

Nashua Imposes No STR-Specific Parking Rule; Underlying Chapter 190 Off-Street Parking Standards Apply to the Dwelling Unit

Few Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Occupancy Limits

Nashua does not impose a short-term-rental-specific occupancy cap (no two-per-bedroom rule, no maximum-guest cap) because the city has no STR ordinance. The operative occupancy limits come from (1) the New Hampshire State Building Code adopted under RSA 155-A, which incorporates the International Building Code (IBC) and International Residential Code (IRC) occupant-load and minimum-room-area standards, (2) Chapter 182 (Housing Standards) of the Nashua Revised Ordinances, which sets minimum habitable-area-per-occupant requirements and life-safety standards, and (3) the New Hampshire State Fire Code under RSA 153 (NFPA 101 Life Safety Code), enforced by the Nashua Fire Marshal's Office, which sets occupant-load limits based on means of egress. Hosting platforms (Airbnb, Vrbo) independently enforce house rules and event policies.

Nashua Sets No STR-Specific Occupancy Cap; State Building Code Occupant Loads and Chapter 182 Housing Standards Apply

Some Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Insurance Requirements

Nashua does not require any specific insurance for short-term rentals because the city has no STR ordinance. New Hampshire also has no statewide STR insurance statute - the legislature has not enacted an analog to Washington's RSA 64.37.050 or California's $1 million-aggregate hospitality coverage mandate. Insurance is therefore purely contractual: standard homeowners and landlord policies typically exclude commercial short-term-rental (transient lodging) use, so practical compliance requires either (1) a stand-alone short-term rental policy or rider, (2) a commercial general liability policy with a hospitality endorsement, or (3) booking exclusively through a platform whose host liability insurance applies (Airbnb's AirCover and Vrbo's Liability Insurance both provide up to $1,000,000 of host liability coverage on platform-booked stays, but neither extends to off-platform direct bookings). NH RSA 78-A registration with the Department of Revenue Administration does not require proof of insurance.

Nashua Has No STR Insurance Mandate; New Hampshire Has No Statewide STR Insurance Statute - Coverage Is Contractual

Few Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Night Caps

Nashua does not impose any annual night cap on short-term rentals because the city has no STR ordinance. New Hampshire has no statewide STR night cap either - there is no analog to Bellingham's 95-day cap, San Francisco's 90-day cap, or New York's blanket prohibition on whole-unit transient rentals under 30 days. STR operators in Nashua may operate year-round subject only to the 185-day threshold in RSA 78-A:3 (rentals of 185 or more consecutive days are not subject to the Meals and Rooms Tax and are treated as long-term tenancies under the New Hampshire Residential Landlord-Tenant Act, RSA 540). No primary-residence rule, no whole-unit-only restriction, and no minimum-stay requirement applies under city or state law.

Nashua Imposes No Annual Night Cap on Short-Term Rentals; New Hampshire Has No Statewide STR Night Cap

Few Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Registration Rules

Nashua does not maintain a short-term rental registration program because the city has no STR ordinance. The only mandatory registration is the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration's Meals and Rooms (Rentals) License under RSA 78-A:4, obtained through the Granite Tax Connect portal at gtc.revenue.nh.gov. RSA 78-A:6, V additionally requires every short-term rental advertisement (online listings on Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, direct-rental websites, print, signage) to include the operator's M&R license number. There is no Nashua application, no Nashua registration fee, no Nashua site plan filing, no Nashua local contact requirement, and no Nashua biennial renewal - all of those exist only in cities with STR ordinances, which Nashua is not.

Nashua Has No City STR Registration; Only Mandatory Registration Is the State NH DRA Meals and Rooms License Under RSA 78-A

Some Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Host Presence Rule

Nashua imposes no host-presence rule and no 24/7 designated-local-contact requirement on short-term rentals because the city has no STR ordinance. Hosts may operate fully unhosted (whole-unit Airbnb / Vrbo rentals) without any city-imposed contact-response duty, distance limit, or owner-occupied-only requirement. The bed-and-breakfast section in the Chapter 190 Land Use Code is a distinct lodging classification that does impose owner-occupancy and breakfast-service requirements, but B&B regulation does not extend to general STR operations. New Hampshire state law similarly imposes no host-presence or local-contact mandate.

Nashua Does Not Require Host Presence or a Designated Local Contact for STRs; Bed-and-Breakfast Section in Chapter 190 Is Separate

Few Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Primary-Residence-Only Rule

Nashua does not impose any primary-residence-only requirement on short-term rentals because the city has no STR ordinance. Investor-owned, non-owner-occupied, whole-unit STR operations are not prohibited as a class - they are permitted to the extent the underlying Chapter 190 Land Use Code Use Matrix permits the dwelling unit's use as transient lodging in the applicable zoning district. New Hampshire state law similarly imposes no primary-residence requirement. This contrasts sharply with cities like Bellingham, WA (270 days primary residence required for residential-zone STRs), San Francisco (host must reside 275+ days), and New York City (de facto primary-residence-only since 2023). The Chapter 190 Bed-and-breakfast section does require owner occupancy, but a B&B is a distinct classification.

Nashua Has No Primary-Residence-Only Requirement for STRs; Non-Owner-Occupied Whole-Unit Rentals Are Permitted Subject to Underlying Zoning

Few Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Looking for Hillsborough County county-wide rules?

County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Nashua city rules.

Short-Term Rentals in Hillsborough County →