Stamford has not adopted a dedicated short-term rental license, but operators must comply with general rental requirements under Code of Ordinances Chapter 146 Housing Standards, including the Certificate of Apartment Occupancy under Section 146-33 and the Multiple Family Dwelling annual license under Section 146-34, and the use must be allowed by the Stamford Zoning Regulations under Chapter 248.
Stamford has not enacted an STR-specific registration ordinance, so short-term rental hosts are subject to the city's existing rental and zoning framework rather than to a separate Airbnb permit. Chapter 146 of the Stamford Code of Ordinances (Housing Standards) governs rental dwellings. Section 146-33 requires a Certificate of Apartment Occupancy each time an apartment becomes vacant in any structure that is at least fifteen years old and contains four or more apartments; Section 146-33B makes it unlawful to rent such an apartment without a CAO, and the inspection fee is seventy-five dollars. Section 146-34 requires owners and operators of multiple family dwellings to apply annually to the Stamford Department of Health for a Multiple Family Dwelling License, which expires each December 31 and must be renewed by January 1. Operators are also subject to the Stamford Zoning Regulations under Chapter 248, administered by the Land Use Bureau, which restrict short-term rentals in the lower-density residential districts to owner-occupied use. The Connecticut Room Occupancy Tax under CGS Sec. 12-407 imposes a fifteen-percent tax on rooms rented for thirty days or fewer and is collected and remitted to the Department of Revenue Services.
Operating a multi-family rental without the Section 146-34 annual Multiple Family Dwelling License from the Department of Health, or renting an apartment in a covered structure without the Section 146-33 Certificate of Apartment Occupancy, is enforceable under Chapter 146. Operating a short-term rental in a residential zoning district that does not permit the use is enforceable by the Stamford Land Use Bureau under Chapter 248 through cease-and-desist orders, zoning citations, and civil enforcement. Failure to remit the Connecticut Room Occupancy Tax is enforced by the Department of Revenue Services.
See how Stamford's registration rules rules stack up against other locations.
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