Burlington, VT Short-Term Rentals: Noise Rules (2026)

Burlington regulates noise under Chapter 21 (Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions), Section 21-13 of the Code of Ordinances. The ordinance applies twenty-four hours a day and prohibits 'loud or unreasonable noise' that disturbs, injures, or endangers the peace or health of another, or that endangers the health, safety, or welfare of the community. The ordinance establishes special quiet hours from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.; noise plainly audible between apartments or houses during those hours is treated as unreasonable. Construction noise is independently classified as a noise disturbance between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. seven days a week. Burlington's short-term rental ordinance, adopted in 2022 as amendments to Chapter 18 (Housing) and Section 21-31 of the Code of Ordinances, requires every registered STR host to provide guests with information about noise, parking, and waste limits and to post that notice visibly inside the unit. STR registration is annual through the Permitting and Inspections Department, and most hosts must live on the same lot or in the same building as the rental (with limited seasonal-home and affordable-housing exceptions). Violations of Section 21-13 can be cited against the guest, the host as a 'resident' of the premise, or both: standard noise fines start at a minimum $200 for a first offense, $300 for a second offense within 24 months, and $500 with possible criminal proceedings for a third or subsequent offense. Party and social gathering violations carry higher minimums of $300 (first offense) and $400 (second within 24 months) per resident or other offender, reducible through restorative justice or community service. Repeat noise complaints tied to a registered STR can also lead to revocation of the Chapter 18 STR registration. Vermont state law (24 V.S.A. Chapter 59) authorizes municipalities to enact and enforce noise ordinances, and Burlington's Charter provides additional health-and-safety police powers used as the legal basis for Section 21-13.