Portland charges a tiered annual STR registration fee ranging from $100 (first owner-occupied or island unit) up to $4,000 (fifth non-owner-occupied mainland unit), in addition to the Maine 9% state lodging tax (Title 36 MRS § 1811) collected on every stay under 28 days.
Portland Code of Ordinances Chapter 6, Article VI (Short Term Rentals, §§ 6-150 et seq.) requires every short-term rental (a rental of less than 30 days) to be registered annually with the Permitting and Inspections Department. Registration is due by January 1 each year. Fees are tiered by category and by the number of units the owner registers. For Owner-Occupied units, Tenant-Occupied units (renewals only — no new tenant-occupied STRs allowed beginning 2026), and Island STRs: 1st unit $100, 2nd $250, 3rd $500, 4th $1,000, 5th $2,000. For Non-Owner-Occupied Mainland units: 1st unit $200, 2nd $500, 3rd $1,000, 4th $2,000, 5th $4,000. A registration application is not complete until payment is received. On top of these registration fees, every stay is subject to Maine's 9% state lodging tax under 36 MRS § 1811 (lodging includes any rental of fewer than 28 days), which marketplace facilitators like Airbnb and Vrbo collect and remit under 36 MRS § 1754-B. Fee discounts of $2.50–$10 per unit (max $20/unit) are available for fully-sprinklered buildings, off-site monitored fire alarms, subsidized housing, or no-smoking lease provisions.
Operating an unregistered STR is a violation of Chapter 6. The City of Portland may issue civil penalties under 30-A MRS § 4452 (the general statutory municipal-ordinance enforcement statute) ranging from $100 to $2,500 per day per violation, plus attorney's fees. Failing to collect/remit the state 9% lodging tax (when the operator sells off-platform) is enforced by Maine Revenue Services and can rise to a Class E crime under 36 MRS § 1754-B for unregistered marketplace activity above the $100,000 threshold.
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