Portland, ME Short-Term Rentals: Repeat Violator Strikes (2026)
Key Facts
- 1st strike
- 12-month STR registration revocation
- 2nd strike
- Permanent STR operating prohibition
- Trigger
- Unremedied disorderly-house designation, Sec. 6-200
- Decision-maker
- City Manager or designee, discretionary
- Re-registration status
- Treated as new application, not renewal
Summary
Portland's short-term rental ordinance imposes an escalating two-strike penalty on properties designated a 'disorderly house.' Under Section 6-156(c) of the Code of Ordinances, a first disorderly-house designation that isn't remedied costs the property a 12-month STR registration revocation; a second designation triggers a permanent ban on operating that address as a short-term rental.
(c) Any short term rental at a property that is designated by the City as a disorderly house and fails to remedy the disorderly house as required by section 6-202, shall, at the discretion of the City Manager or his or her designee, have its registration revoked and be ineligible for registration for a period of twelve (12) months. Any registration after revocation shall be considered a new registration and not a renewal. Upon the second designation of the short term rental property as a disorderly house, the City shall, at the discretion of the City Manager or his or her designee, prohibit the registered owner from operating the property as a short term rental or post the property against occupancy pursuant to section 6-201.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
Section 6-156(c), in Chapter 6's short-term rental enforcement article, ties repeat nuisance behavior directly to a property's right to operate as an STR. If a property is designated a disorderly house under Section 6-200 and the owner fails to remedy the designation as required by Section 6-202, the City Manager or a designee may, at their discretion, revoke the property's STR registration and make it ineligible to register again for twelve (12) months. If the property is later designated a disorderly house a second time, the City Manager may, at their discretion, either prohibit the registered owner from operating the property as a short-term rental at all, or post the property against occupancy under Section 6-201.
Any registration granted after a first-strike revocation counts as a brand-new application, not a renewal, meaning the owner loses seniority and is subject to whatever caps and waitlist rules under Sections 6-153 and 6-154 are in effect at the time of re-application. Section 6-156(d) additionally allows the city to fine property management firms operating STR units in violation of the article, on top of any fines against the owner, and Section 6-156(e) makes any violation of the STR article grounds to deny a registration or renewal application outright, independent of the disorderly-house track.
Violations & Fines
A first disorderly-house designation that goes unremedied costs the property its STR registration for a full 12 months, with any later registration treated as new rather than a renewal. A second designation lets the City Manager permanently bar the owner from operating that property as a short-term rental, or post it against occupancy under Section 6-201: decided case-by-case, not automatically.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many strikes does a Portland STR get before losing its registration?
Is a re-registration after a revocation treated as a renewal?
Can Portland fine a property management company for STR violations, not just the owner?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portland
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