Lowell, MA Short-Term Rentals: Permit Requirements (2026)

The City of Lowell regulates lodging through Chapter 290 (Zoning) of the Code of the City of Lowell rather than a dedicated short-term rental ordinance. Section 4.3.5 (Special Rules) permits a resident owner, in all districts, to rent rooms or furnish table board to 'not more than two (2) non-transient roomers or boarders' as an accessory use, provided no separate cooking facilities are maintained and no sign is displayed. Renting to more than two non-transient roomers as an accessory use is not permitted in any district (Article XIII, Table of Accessory Uses). Commercial transient lodging is captured by the defined uses 'Tourist home, Bed & Breakfast Inn' and 'Boarding or Lodging house, fraternity' in the Article XII Table of Principal Uses, both of which require a Special Permit (SP) from the Zoning Board of Appeals in most residential and mixed-use districts and are simply not allowed (N) in single-family and several other districts. A 'Boarding or Lodging House' is defined as 'a house where lodgings are let to four or more persons not within second degree of kindred to the person conducting it.' Because the ordinance offers no 'short-term rental' classification and limits accessory room rental to two non-transient roomers, an owner wishing to operate a whole-home or multi-guest transient rental must obtain a special permit for a lodging use where the district allows it; many districts allow no such use at all. Lowell additionally licenses lodging houses under G.L. c. 140, § 23, with annual renewal each April. Hosts should confirm zoning with the Department of Planning and Development (978-674-4252) and the licensing authority before listing.