Bucks County does not impose any cap on the number of nights per year a short-term rental may be operated. The county's Lodging Room Rental Tax Ordinance No. 158 only defines a tax threshold (rentals under 30 consecutive days) and does not restrict the number of bookings. Pennsylvania has no statewide STR preemption, so any nightly cap would have to be set by the host municipality (township or borough) under the PA Municipalities Planning Code (Act 247 of 1968).
Bucks County's Lodging Room Rental Tax Ordinance No. 158, last amended January 2019, governs only the tax structure for short-term lodging in the county. The ordinance defines a taxable rental as any room rental of less than 30 consecutive days at the 5% county lodging tax rate, and exempts permanent residents (occupants of 30 consecutive nights or longer). It does not impose any annual or per-booking cap on the number of nights a host may rent. Under the Pennsylvania Second Class A County Code (16 P.S. § 1770.7) and the PA County Code (16 P.S. §§ 101 et seq.), Bucks County (a Third Class County) has limited zoning authority and cannot impose nightly caps countywide. Land-use authority is delegated to municipalities under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (53 P.S. §§ 10101 et seq., Act 247 of 1968). Each of the 54 Bucks County municipalities may adopt its own STR night cap. Some have done so: New Hope Borough (Chapter 199) regulates STR units extensively, and Newtown Borough caps STR operation in some zoning districts. Doylestown Borough, Bristol Borough, and Quakertown Borough each handle STRs through their respective rental licensing or zoning ordinances. Hosts in unincorporated areas (which do not exist in PA — every parcel falls within a township or borough) should verify with their municipal zoning officer.
No county-level penalty for exceeding nights — none exist. Failure to remit the 5% county lodging tax under Ordinance No. 158: back taxes, penalties, and interest assessed by the County Treasurer. Municipal STR caps (where adopted) carry zoning fines per local ordinance, typically $500 per day under PA MPC § 617.2 (53 P.S. § 10617.2).
See how Bristol's night caps rules stack up against other locations.
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