Springfield, MA Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Guest cap
- 8 guests total, or 2/bedroom
- Bedroom cap
- max 4 bedrooms rented
- One party rule
- one renter party at a time
- Fine
- up to $300 per day
Summary
Springfield caps short-term rental occupancy at eight guests total or two guests per bedroom, whichever is fewer, and allows no more than four bedrooms to be rented out at once.
Number of short-term renters. A residential unit offered as a short-term rental shall be limited to eight guests total, or two guests per guest bedroom total, whichever is fewer. No more than four bedrooms at a time may be offered as a short-term rental.
D. A residential unit offered as a short-term rental shall comply with all standards and regulations promulgated by the City of Springfield's Office of Housing and Code Enforcement Department.
E. Short-term rental of a shared residential unit. An operator may offer bedrooms within their residential unit as a short-term rental 365 days per year. One bedroom in the unit shall be reserved for, and occupied by, the operator during the entire term of the rental.
F. Short-term rental of an unoccupied residential unit. Short-term rentals shall not exceed, in the aggregate, 90 consecutive or nonconsecutive calendar days per year, when the operator is not occupying the residential unit during the entire term of the short-term rental.
G. Rental period and use. Renting for an hourly rate, or for rental durations of fewer than 10 consecutive hours shall not be permitted. Commercial meetings and uses are prohibited in short-term rentals.
H.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4680006; v21 updated 2025-12-15; through 12-15-2025).
Full Breakdown
Springfield City Code § 238-5C sets a hard numeric ceiling on short-term rental occupancy: eight guests total, or two guests per guest bedroom, whichever number is lower, with a maximum of four bedrooms offered as short-term rental space at any one time. The unit must also be rented to only one party of renters at a time under § 238-5B, no renting separate bedrooms to separate parties. These caps apply to every short-term rental in Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, regardless of zoning district, and are enforced by the Code Enforcement Department.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the eight-guest or two-per-bedroom cap, renting more than four bedrooms, or booking separate parties into the same unit are compliance violations enforceable by the Code Enforcement Department, up to $300 per violation per day.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many guests can stay at a Springfield short-term rental?
Can a Springfield short-term rental host two separate groups at once?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Springfield
Compare Springfield to another location·View the Massachusetts short-term rentals overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.