6 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 3 cities in Suffolk County, Massachusetts.
Verified from official government sources
STR registration is handled at state and municipal levels. All MA operators register with DOR for $50. Each city has its own local requirements and fees.
Suffolk County STRs must comply with local noise bylaws. Hosts responsible for guest behavior. Complaints may trigger license review.
STRs in all Suffolk County cities are subject to the Massachusetts state room occupancy excise (5.7% under MGL c. 64G) plus each city's local option tax (up to 6%). DOR Short-Term Rental Registry required statewide; $50 state fee.
Suffolk County STR parking rules are set by each municipality. Boston's STR ordinance (Boston Municipal Code §9-14) requires owner-occupancy for most listings, and Boston has city-wide overnight resident-parking restrictions that dramatically limit guest parking.
Boston caps STR occupancy at 2 persons per bedroom plus 2 additional, per the Short-Term Rental Ordinance (Boston Code §9-14). Chelsea follows STR bylaws adopted 2019 with similar caps. Revere's STR Ordinance (§10.28, adopted 2021) requires hosts to disclose max occupancy. Winthrop uses Board of Health sanitary occupancy limits under 105 CMR 410.400 (150 sq ft first person, 100 sq ft each additional).
Boston Code of Ordinances Ch. 9-14 (Short-Term Rentals; Inspectional Services Department)
Boston's Short-Term Rental (STR) program allows the renting of residential units for less than twenty-eight (28) days for a fee. Residential units offered as short term rentals are only allowed in owner-occupied condominiums, single-family, two-family, and three-family buildings. For two-family and three-family buildings, the owner-occupant must own all the units. [...] LIMITED SHARE UNITS Limi...
Massachusetts requires all short-term rental operators to maintain at least $1 million in liability insurance per occurrence per stay, per MGL c. 64G, §13. Boston and Chelsea STR registrations require proof of insurance at application. Airbnb and Vrbo platform policies may satisfy this requirement if they match the statutory minimum.
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 64G, sec. 14 (Regulation of short-term rental operators by cities or towns)
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...
3 cities in Suffolk County have their own short-term rentals rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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