Boston requires Airbnb, Vrbo, and similar platforms to delist units that accumulate repeated nuisance, registration, or zoning violations. ISD maintains a violator list shared with platforms, who must remove flagged listings within five business days.
Under Boston Ord. 12-9.1's platform accountability provisions, the City compiles a list of STR units cited for ordinance, building code, sanitation, or noise violations. Hosts with three substantiated violations within a 12-month period have registration revoked and are placed on a citywide ineligibility list. Platforms must check the list before processing bookings and remove flagged listings, or face per-day fines themselves. The 2019 First Circuit decision in Airbnb v. Boston upheld these data-sharing requirements against a Communications Decency Act preemption challenge.
Booking platforms that fail to delist flagged units after notice owe penalties of up to $300 per day per listing, in addition to host-side enforcement.
Boston, MA
Booking platforms operating in Boston must verify host registration numbers before processing bookings. Platforms processing payments for unregistered units ...
Boston, MA
Boston STRs must comply with local noise bylaws. Hosts responsible for guest behavior. Complaints may trigger license review.
See how Boston's repeat violator strikes rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.