12 verified short-term rentals rules for Somerville, Massachusetts, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Somerville requires every short-term rental to hold a certificate of registration from Inspectional Services before operating, backed by a $250 fee, a pre-certificate inspection, and proof of primary residence, insurance, and state tax registration.
Somerville Code of Ordinances § 7-254(a), (d), (e)
Applying for registration and renewals. An operator shall file an application for registration or registration renewal with ISD online on a form prescribed by ISD... Fee. At the time of application for registration or renewal, Operators shall submit the applicable fee of $250.00 as set forth by the Council. Pre-certificate inspection and verification. Prior to issuing or renewing a certificate ...
Somerville doesn't set a separate noise limit for short-term rentals, but every registered unit must post a sign inside telling guests about the city's noise ordinance, parking rules, trash procedures, and an emergency contact.
Somerville Code of Ordinances § 7-253(n)(3)
Notifications. The operator shall post and maintain a sign on the inside of the short-term rental on the entry level, visible to and reasonably likely to be readily accessed by individuals utilizing the short-term rental, with the following information: ... (3) The local noise ordinances of the city;
Somerville charges short-term rental operators a flat $250.00 fee every time they register or renew, payable directly to Inspectional Services with the application. There's no percentage-of-revenue occupancy tax baked into the city ordinance itself; the $250 is a straight registration fee tied to the city's annual certificate cycle.
Somerville Code of Ordinances § 7-254(d)
(d) Fee. At the time of application for registration or renewal, Operators shall submit the applicable fee of $250.00 as set forth by the Council.
Somerville short-term rental hosts must post a sign at the unit's entry level spelling out the city's parking rules, covering visitor parking passes, street sweeping days, and snow emergency bans, so guests aren't blindsided by a ticket or a tow. The rule sits inside the broader short-term rental registration ordinance enforced by Inspectional Services (ISD).
Somerville Code of Ordinances § 7-253(n)
(n) Notifications. The operator shall post and maintain a sign on the inside of the short-term rental on the entry level, visible to and reasonably likely to be readily accessed by individuals utilizing the short-term rental, with the following information: (1) Instructions for the disposal of waste per the city's recycling and trash programs; (2) Information regarding the city's parking regula...
Somerville limits any registered short-term rental to ten guests, or two guests per guest bedroom, whichever number is lower. The unit can also only be rented to one party at a time, not split among separate renters.
Somerville Code of Ordinances § 7-253(d)
Number of short-term renters. A residential unit offered as a short-term rental shall be limited to ten guests, or two guests per guest bedroom, whichever is fewer.
MGL c.64G s.14 requires Somerville STR operators to carry at least $1 million in liability insurance per stay, either directly or through platform-provided coverage.
M.G.L. c. 64G, Section 14
Section 14. A city or town, by ordinance or by-law, may regulate operators registered pursuant to section 67 of chapter 62C and impose penalties for the violation of such an ordinance or by-law. A city or town, by ordinance or by-law, may: (i) regulate the existence or location of operators under this section within the city or town, including regulating the class of operators and number of loc...
Somerville caps whole-unit short-term rentals, where the operator is not present, at 90 days a year in total. Consecutive or scattered nights both count, and ISD enforces the cap through the registration and inspection process.
Somerville Code of Ordinances § 7-253(h)
Short-term rental of an autonomous unit. Short-term rentals shall not exceed in the aggregate, 90 consecutive or nonconsecutive calendar days per year for autonomous units.
Somerville allows a "shared unit" short-term rental year-round only if the operator keeps one bedroom reserved and stays in the unit for the entire rental. Skip the presence requirement and the listing becomes an unregistered autonomous unit instead.
Somerville Code of Ordinances § 7-253(g)
Short-term rental of a shared unit. An operator may offer a shared unit as a short-term rental 365 days per year. One bedroom in the unit shall be reserved for, and occupied by, the operator during the entire term of the rental.
Somerville only allows a residential unit to be short-term rented if it is the operator's primary residence. Investment units and second homes with no owner or tenant living there year-round cannot register as short-term rentals at all.
Somerville Code of Ordinances § 7-253(b)
Operator's primary residence. A residential unit offered as a short-term rental shall be the operator's primary residence.
Three or more violations at a Somerville property within six months, whether under the short-term rental ordinance, another city ordinance, state law, or the building code, bars every unit there from short-term rental use for the next six months.
Somerville Code of Ordinances § 7-253(k)
Three or more violations in a six month period. Should a property receive three or more violations within a six month period under this section, or of any municipal ordinance, state law, or building code, any residential unit within the property shall be ineligible to be used as a short term rental for a period of six months from the third or subsequent violation. If a certificate of registrati...
Somerville makes booking platforms, not just hosts, financially exposed when a listing breaks the short-term rental ordinance: once the city has notified a booking agent that a listed unit is in violation, that agent may not keep collecting its booking fee on that listing. The rule sits in Section 7-256, which also sets penalties and enforcement for the whole short-term rental article.
Somerville Code of Ordinances § 7-256(a)-(b)
(a) No person or entity may offer a residential unit as a short-term rental in violation of this article. No booking agent may accept a fee for booking a residential unit which is in violation of this ordinance, provided that the city has first notified the booking agent of such violation of the residential unit. All violations of this section may be penalized by a noncriminal disposition as pr...