Portland does not require every STR to be a primary residence, but Sec. 6-153(f) prohibits any STR in a single-family home unless it is owner-occupied, tenant-occupied (with owner permission), or on Peaks or an Outer Island. Non-owner-occupied STRs in detached single-family homes on the mainland are not allowed; in multi-unit buildings they are capped citywide at 1.5% of long-term housing stock.
Sec. 6-150.1 defines 'Primary Residence' as 'the dwelling in which a person resides as his or her legal residence for more than one half of a year and registers as his or her address for tax and government identification purposes.' 'Owner-Occupied' means a rental unit owned and occupied by the registrant as their primary residence; a unit in an owner-occupied multi-unit building that is not the owner's primary residence still counts as non-owner-occupied. ADUs are explicitly excluded from 'owner-occupied' status for STR purposes (Sec. 6-150.1). Sec. 6-153(f) bars STRs in mainland single-family homes unless owner-occupied or tenant-occupied (with permission). Sec. 6-153(g) caps STR counts inside mainland multi-unit buildings: a 2-unit building allows 1 STR (must be owner- or tenant-occupied); a 3-unit allows 2 (1 of which non-owner-occupied); larger buildings scale up to 5 STRs in 10+ unit buildings. Tenant-occupied STRs registered as of December 31, 2025 are grandfathered, but Sec. 6-153(d) prohibits any new tenant-occupied STR registrations starting January 1, 2026. Statewide preemption note: Maine's 30-A MRS Sec. 3001 home-rule authority supports Portland's tighter regime; the 9% lodging tax under 36 MRS Sec. 1811 applies regardless of primary-residence status.
Operating a non-owner-occupied STR in a mainland single-family home violates Sec. 6-153(f) and is enforceable under Sec. 6-155(e) (renting an unregistered unit) and Sec. 6-1. False statements about primary-residence status on the registration application trigger the fixed $1,000 penalty under Sec. 6-155(d).
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