Somerville, MA Short-Term Rentals: Noise Rules (2026)

Sec. 7-253(n) of the Somerville Code of Ordinances requires the operator of a short-term rental to post and maintain a sign on the inside of the unit, on the entry level, visible to and reasonably likely to be accessed by anyone using the rental. Among the five required items on that sign, Sec. " The same posting must also cover trash and recycling disposal instructions under (n)(1), parking regulations including visitor passes, street sweeping, and snow emergencies under (n)(2), emergency contact information for the operator or a locally available designee under (n)(4), and the certificate of registration itself under (n)(5).

Rather than writing a separate decibel limit or curfew for short-term rentals, the ordinance leans on Somerville's general noise ordinance by requiring guests be informed of it directly inside the unit, and it backs that up with the retention-of-records duty in Sec. 7-253(m) and the requirement in Sec. 7-253(l) that operators comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and codes. If a short-term rental generates repeated noise complaints that escalate into citations under the city's general noise ordinance or other municipal law, those citations count toward the three-or-more-violations threshold in Sec. 7-253(k), which can suspend or bar the property's short-term rental use.