11 verified short-term rentals rules for Portland, Maine, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Every short-term rental (any letting of a rental unit, in whole or in part, for less than 30 days) must be registered annually with the Portland Permitting and Inspections Department under Portland City Code Chapter 6, Article VI. The registration number must appear on every advertisement and listing.
Portland's general noise ordinance (Chapter 17) and the state disorderly-conduct statute (17-A MRS § 501-A) apply to short-term rental guests with no STR-specific noise carve-out. STR operators are responsible for ensuring guests comply with quiet hours and decibel limits.
Portland charges a tiered annual STR registration fee ranging from $100 (first owner-occupied or island unit) up to $4,000 (fifth non-owner-occupied mainland unit), in addition to the Maine 9% state lodging tax (Title 36 MRS § 1811) collected on every stay under 28 days.
Portland's STR ordinance does not require a minimum number of off-street parking spaces specific to short-term rentals. The unit's underlying zoning parking ratio (and on-street parking rules under Chapter 28) governs.
Overnight guest occupancy in each Portland short-term rental is capped at two guests per bedroom, plus a maximum of two additional guests in shared/common space, under Portland Code §§ 6-150 et seq.
Portland's STR ordinance (Chapter 6, Article VI) does not impose a city-mandated minimum liability insurance amount for short-term rentals. Operators are responsible for carrying adequate coverage on their own, and Maine law does not preempt that gap.
Portland does not impose a per-unit annual night cap (e.g., 90 nights/year) on short-term rentals, but it does impose strict citywide caps: 1.5% of registered long-term rental units for non-owner-occupied mainland STRs (starting 2026), a 40-unit annual cap on Peaks Island Year-Round Non-Owner-Occupied STRs, and a five-year sunset for ADUs used as STRs.
Portland's STR registration runs on a calendar-year basis with renewal due by January 1 (Sec. 6-154(b)(c)). Beginning calendar year 2026, non-owner-occupied mainland STRs are capped at 1.5% of the prior year's registered long-term rental stock (about 285 units), down from the prior 400-unit cap, with a first-come, first-registered allocation and waitlist.
Portland does not require a host to be physically present during a guest stay, but to qualify for the lower owner-occupied fee tier and avoid the non-owner-occupied cap, the registrant must occupy the rental unit as their primary residence as defined in Sec. 6-150.1.
Portland does not require every STR to be a primary residence, but Sec. 6-153(f) prohibits any STR in a single-family home unless it is owner-occupied, tenant-occupied (with owner permission), or on Peaks or an Outer Island. Non-owner-occupied STRs in detached single-family homes on the mainland are not allowed; in multi-unit buildings they are capped citywide at 1.5% of long-term housing stock.
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Portland city rules.
Short-Term Rentals in Cumberland County →