Portland, ME Short-Term Rentals: Noise Rules (2026)

Portland's noise standard for short-term rentals runs through Section 6-200, 'Disorderly houses prohibited,' in Chapter 6 of the Code of Ordinances. A building, including a short-term rental, becomes a 'disorderly house' when police respond a set number of times within any 30-day period to situations created by the owner, tenants, or their cohabitees, guests, or invitees that 'would have a tendency to unreasonably disturb the community, the neighborhood or an ordinary individual in the vicinity,' explicitly including loud music, boisterous parties, sounds audible outside the building, and loud noise or fights (excluding domestic-violence incidents).

Section 6-200(b)(3) sets the visit threshold by building size: 3 visits in 30 days for buildings of 5 units or fewer, 4 visits for 6-to-10-unit buildings, and 5 visits for buildings of 11 or more units. A separate, lower threshold in Section 6-200(b)(2), three or more police visits in 30 days tied to arrests for crimes, civil infractions, drug activity, or prostitution, also qualifies. The police department documents each qualifying visit, and sworn citizen affidavits can support a finding of illegal activity. For a short-term rental specifically, a disorderly-house designation has teeth: Section 6-156(c) authorizes the City Manager or a designee to revoke the property's STR registration once it is designated disorderly and fails to remedy the situation as required under Section 6-202.

Section 6-201 requires the city to give the owner written notice of the events that formed the basis for the designation before any enforcement follows.