Quincy's short-term rental ordinance, codified at Quincy Code § 196-14 (adopted March 2021), regulates registration and unit type but does not impose a numeric per-bedroom occupancy formula. Operators are bound by the maximum occupancy declared on their Massachusetts Department of Revenue STR Registry application under MGL c.64G, the State Sanitary Code (105 CMR 410), and 780 CMR sleeping-room standards.
Quincy regulates short-term rentals through zoning ordinance § 196-14, which requires annual registration with the Department of Inspectional Services and classifies units as a limited share, home share, or owner-adjacent unit. The ordinance does not adopt a per-bedroom occupancy cap. Three layers of state regulation set the enforceable ceiling. First, MGL c.64G (as amended by Chapter 337 of the Acts of 2018) requires every operator of a property rented for 31 days or fewer to obtain a Certificate of Registration through the Massachusetts Department of Revenue STR Registry under MGL c.62C, §67; the registration requires the operator to declare the unit's bedroom count and maximum overnight guests, which becomes the enforceable occupancy limit for that listing. Second, 105 CMR 410 (State Sanitary Code, Chapter II - Minimum Standards of Fitness for Human Habitation) sets minimum sleeping-room floor areas of 70 square feet for one occupant and 50 square feet per additional occupant in any habitable room used for sleeping. Third, 780 CMR (Massachusetts State Building Code, Tenth Edition based on 2021 IBC/IRC) defines bedrooms by minimum dimensions and emergency-egress windows. Quincy's § 196-14 also requires a Fire Safety Inspection Certificate from the Quincy Fire Department before operating, and prohibits STR use in Residence A zoning districts and in below-market-rate or income-restricted units. Operators renting more than three sleeping rooms to four or more unrelated lodgers may also fall under MGL c.140, §§22-32 (lodging-house statute) and require a separate City of Quincy lodging-house license issued by the Board of License Commissioners.
Exceeding the maximum occupancy declared on the DOR STR registration, or violating 105 CMR 410 sleeping-room standards, can result in DOR registration revocation, City of Quincy housing-code citations, and orders to vacate from the Department of Inspectional Services. Operating an unregistered STR is subject to MGL c.62C, §67 penalties and platform delisting under MGL c.64G, §13. Where four or more unrelated lodgers occupy the unit without a lodging-house license, additional MGL c.140 penalties apply. Quincy zoning violations under § 196-14 (including operation in Residence A districts) are enforced by the Department of Inspectional Services.
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