Boston, MA Short-Term Rentals: Repeat Violator Strikes (2026)
Key Facts
- Strike threshold
- Three within 12 months
- Platform takedown window
- Five business days
- Platform fine
- Up to $300/day/listing
- Court precedent
- Airbnb v. Boston (1st Cir. 2019)
Summary
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.
Be in compliance with related Housing laws and codes — The unit must not be the subject of three or more violations — within a six-month period, starting January 1, 2019 — of any City ordinance or state law relating to: the Short-term Rental ordinance itself; excessive noise; improper disposal of trash, or disorderly conduct or other similar conduct (this includes violations of the state Sanitary, Building and Fire Code). There also can't be any outstanding violations on the unit of the types mentioned above. The unit must not be located within a "Problem Property." It also can't be located within a property owned by a Problem Property owner. These are defined in the City of Boston Code of Ordinances, Chapter 9-13.1 and Chapter 16-57.2. [...] If at any point you violate one of the laws and codes mentioned here, your short-term rental license will be suspended. The suspension will last for as long as the violation exists.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
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.
Violations & Fines
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a strike?
Can a delisted host re-register later?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boston
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Repeat Violator Strikes in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle repeat violator strikes.