Somerville, MA Short-Term Rentals: Repeat Violator Strikes (2026)

Sec. 7-253(k) of the Somerville Code of Ordinances imposes a property-wide penalty once violations accumulate: should a property receive three or more violations within a six-month period under Article X, or under any municipal ordinance, state law, or building code, every residential unit within that property becomes ineligible to be used as a short-term rental for six months from the date of the third or subsequent violation. If a certificate of registration has already been issued for a unit at that property, Sec. 7-253(k) suspends it for the remainder of its term or for six months, whichever period is longer.

This works alongside Sec. 7-253(j), which separately requires that a short-term rental have no outstanding building, sanitary, zoning, or fire code violations, orders of abatement, or stop-work orders; if such a violation or order is issued after a certificate is granted, the Director of the Inspectional Services Department (ISD) must suspend the registration until the violation is cured. The three-strikes rule is broader than 7-253(j) because it counts violations of any municipal ordinance or state law at the property, not just STR-specific or code violations, and it reaches every unit at the property rather than only the cited unit.

ISD, defined in Sec. 7-251 as the director of Inspectional Services or a designee, tracks these violations as part of its registry and inspection duties under Secs. 7-254 and 7-255.