Short-term rental permit rules in Fairfield County, CT β also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration β list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Fairfield County has no operational county government (abolished 1960) and Connecticut has no statewide STR registration program. Permit and zoning rules are set by each town under home rule. The state imposes a 15% room occupancy tax on rentals of 30 consecutive days or fewer under Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 12-407 and Sec. 12-408. Public Act 19-117 (2019) requires STR facilitators (Airbnb, Vrbo) to collect and remit the tax for their hosts.
Connecticut has no statewide short-term rental licensing program. Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 12-407(a)(16) and Sec. 12-407(a)(17) include short-term rentals of 30 consecutive days or fewer within the definitions of 'hotel' and 'lodging house' for purposes of the room occupancy tax under Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 12-408. The room occupancy tax rate is 15% for short-term rentals; bed-and-breakfast establishments are taxed at 11%. Public Act 19-117 (2019) made short-term rental facilitators such as Airbnb and Vrbo responsible for collecting and remitting the tax on behalf of hosts using their platforms. Hosts who rent directly must register with the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services (DRS) and file Form OP-210 each month; the registration fee is $100 (waived if already registered for sales and use tax). Fairfield County town-level rules vary significantly. Greenwich treats whole-house STRs as commercial uses requiring zoning approval; Stamford has explored registration ordinances; smaller towns may have no STR-specific rule at all. Operators should consult both DRS for tax obligations and the town zoning office for local permits.
Failure to collect or remit room occupancy tax under Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 12-407 et seq. is enforced by the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services with interest, penalties, and potential criminal liability under Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 12-428 (willful failure to file). Town-level STR violations are enforced by municipal code enforcement and can include cease-and-desist orders and daily fines under Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 8-12.
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