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Portland, ME Short-Term Rentals: Host Platform Liability (2026)

Significant Restrictions

Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Booking service duty: Post registration number before accepting any fee
Response deadline: 48 hours to answer a City data request
Data owed to City: Registration, rental history, reservation info
Definition trigger: Platform must charge a fee to be a "booking service"
Extra penalty: Property management firms fined alongside owners

Summary

Booking services such as Airbnb or Vrbo cannot take a fee for a Portland short-term rental unless the listing already displays the unit's city registration number. Platforms must also turn over registration and reservation data to the City on request within 48 hours.

All booking services shall include a short term rental's registration number in all advertisements or listings for a short term rental before accepting any charges or collecting or receiving any fees in connection with a short-term rental. Upon request by the City, at any time, all owners, registrants, and agents of short term rental units must provide the City with their registration information, rental history, and upcoming reservation information. Failure of short term rental unit owners, registrants, and/or their representatives to adequately respond to inquiries by the City within a forty-eight (48) hour period shall be considered a violation under this ordinance.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.

Full Breakdown

Sec. 1 defines a "booking service" broadly as any business or individual operating an online or app-based platform that lists or advertises short-term rentals and also charges, collects, or receives a fee connected to the rental - a platform that only lists offers without processing payment falls outside the definition. Sec. " This liability sits inside Article VI's broader disclosure purpose stated in Sec. 6-150, which cites undisclosed and unresponsive ownership and management structures as the problem the article is meant to fix, extending accountability to the platforms that process the bookings, not just the property owners.

Violations & Fines

Sec. 6-155(c) makes it a violation for a booking service to fail to display a unit's required registration number, and Sec. 6-155(f) separately violates a platform's or owner's failure to respond to a City inquiry under Sec. 6-152(e) within 48 hours. Sec. 6-156(d) allows fines against property management firms in addition to fines against owners for the same violation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Airbnb list a Portland rental without a registration number?

No. Sec. 6-151(e) bars any booking service from accepting charges or fees for a short-term rental unless its listing already includes the unit's city-issued registration number, and Sec. 6-155(c) makes a missing number a violation.

What information must booking platforms give the City?

Upon request at any time, owners, registrants, and their agents - including booking platforms acting on an owner's behalf - must provide the City with registration information, rental history, and upcoming reservation data under Sec. 6-151(e).

How fast must a platform respond to a City inquiry?

Within 48 hours. Sec. 6-151(e) states that failing to adequately respond to a City inquiry within forty-eight hours is itself a violation, separately listed in Sec. 6-155(f), on top of any underlying registration violation.

Sources & Official References

[1]Portland, ME Code of Ordinances - Chapter 6, Art. VI

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