Portland, ME Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Occupancy formula
- 2 guests per bedroom, plus 2 more
- 1-bedroom example
- Capped at 4 overnight guests
- Applies to
- All registered short-term rentals citywide
- Enforcement route
- Sec. 6-156 plus Sec. 6-1(a)(3) penalties
- Repeat problem risk
- Disorderly-house designation can revoke registration
Summary
Portland caps overnight guests at any short-term rental at two people per bedroom plus two additional guests. Sec. 6-153(a) sets the formula citywide, applying equally to owner-occupied, non-owner-occupied, and island short-term rentals once registered under Article VI.
Occupancy Limit. Overnight short term rental guest occupancy in each rental unit will be limited to two (2) guests per bedroom plus no more than two (2) additional guests.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
Sec. " A one-bedroom short-term rental is therefore capped at four overnight guests, a two-bedroom at six, and so on, with the flat two-guest allowance added on top regardless of bedroom count. The formula applies uniformly across the categories the article otherwise treats differently for registration purposes - mainland, Peaks Island, owner-occupied, and non-owner-occupied units all fall under the same Sec. 6-153(a) cap, unlike the separate numeric caps in Sec. 6-153(b)-(d) that instead limit how many units of each type can be registered at all.
The occupancy limit sits within the same section that caps the total number of non-owner-occupied mainland and Peaks Island units and freezes new tenant-occupied registrations, all adopted as part of the Article VI short-term rental registration scheme most recently amended by Ord. No. 28-24/25 on 8-19-2024.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the Sec. 6-153(a) occupancy limit is a violation subject to the article's enforcement provisions in Sec. 6-156, and general per-day penalties of $100 to $2,500 apply under Sec. 6-1(a)(3); a property repeatedly over capacity can also be designated a disorderly house under Sec. 6-156(c), which puts the registration itself at risk of revocation for twelve months.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many guests can stay overnight at a Portland short-term rental?
Does Portland's STR occupancy cap apply to all rental types?
What happens if a Portland short-term rental exceeds its occupancy limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portland
Compare Portland to another location·View the Maine short-term rentals overview
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