Short-term rental (Airbnb) rules in Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston's ordinances we reviewed don't specifically regulate short-term rentals like Airbnb or VRBO: we found no STR registration, license, fee, cap or minimum-stay rule. The City's lodging-house license expressly excludes vacation rentals, and its rental registration covers only buildings with 3 or more units. Renting rooms to guests while you live there may instead fall under the City's bed-and-breakfast and lodging-house rules (our reading of the definitions, not a City ruling), so ask the City first.
| STR ordinance / registration | None found [5] |
| Lodging house license | Does not include vacation rentals [1] |
| Rental registration | Only buildings with 3+ dwelling units; not single-family homes or B&Bs [3] |
| Bed and breakfast (4 or fewer rooms) | Treated as a home occupation [4] |
| B&B as a home occupation, by district | Permitted in every district except Industrial (I) and Resource Conservation (RC) [7] |
No STR-specific rules found
We didn't find any short-term rental ordinance, registration, license, fee, cap, minimum stay or owner-occupancy rule in Lewiston's zoning code or Code of Ordinances. The zoning definitions don't define "short-term rental." In a November 18, 2025 memo to the Planning Board, the Director of Planning & Code Enforcement advised that an STR ordinance is not necessary at this time [5]; the memo is a staff recommendation, not law, and staff said they will keep monitoring.
Licensing and registration
The City licenses "lodging houses" under Chapter 22 of the Code of Ordinances. That definition covers places that furnish sleeping accommodations in individual rooms or units for pay, including hotels, inns, motels and bed and breakfasts, but it does not include vacation rentals [1]. The same definition includes bed and breakfasts and places that rent individual rooms. No one may let a room in an unlicensed lodging house [2]. Our reading (not a City ruling) is that renting individual rooms to paying guests is more likely to need this license than renting a whole house; confirm with the City. The free annual rental registration in Chapter 23 applies only to multi-family buildings with 3 or more units and doesn't apply to single-family homes, lodging houses, hotels, motels or bed and breakfasts [3].
Renting rooms while you live there
The zoning code defines a bed and breakfast as an accessory use to a single-family home that rents rooms to transient guests and serves breakfast. One with 4 or fewer guest rooms counts as a home occupation if it meets the home occupation criteria [4]; 5 or 6 rooms need development review and frontage on certain listed streets. The Article XI Land Use Table lists "Bed and breakfast establishments as a home occupation" as permitted in every district except Industrial and Resource Conservation [7]. The parking table requires two spaces plus one per sleeping room for a B&B [6]. Treating owner-occupied room rentals as a B&B is our reading of the definition, which also mentions serving breakfast; ask Planning & Code Enforcement how it classifies your rental. A "tourist home" (a commercial building with 8 or fewer guest rooms; a B&B with 7 or 8 rooms counts as one) is defined in the code but does not appear in the current Land Use Table, so we can't say where one is allowed.
Other things to check
State lodging tax registration applies separately (see state rules below), as do any HOA, condo or deed restrictions.
See how Lewiston compares with 8+ other Maine towns on short-term rentals (airbnb / vrbo) →
Next steps
- If you'll rent the whole house, ask Planning & Code Enforcement (207-513-3125, PlanningCode@lewistonmaine.gov) to confirm no City STR permit or license is required.
- If you'll rent rooms while living there, ask whether you need a lodging house license (Ch. 22) and home occupation approval as a bed and breakfast.
- Register with Maine Revenue Services for lodging tax if you rent 15 or more days a year outside a booking platform.
- Check your deed, HOA or condo rules for rental restrictions.
Common questions
- Does Lewiston, Maine have a short-term rental ordinance?
- No. Lewiston's ordinances we reviewed don't specifically regulate short-term rentals like Airbnb or VRBO: no STR registration, license, fee, cap or minimum-stay rule. In a November 2025 memo, City staff advised that an STR ordinance is not necessary at this time; that memo is a recommendation, not law.
- Do I need a license to Airbnb my house in Lewiston, Maine?
- We found no City license for renting a whole house. Lewiston's lodging-house license expressly excludes vacation rentals, and its rental registration covers only buildings with 3 or more units. Ask Planning & Code Enforcement to confirm, and register with Maine Revenue Services for lodging tax if you rent 15 or more days a year outside a booking platform.
- Can I rent rooms in my home on Airbnb in Lewiston, Maine?
- It depends. Renting rooms while you live there may fall under the City's bed-and-breakfast zoning rules and its lodging-house license. That is our reading of the definitions, not a City ruling, so ask the City first. A bed and breakfast with 4 or fewer rooms can count as a home occupation.
- Where are tourist homes allowed in Lewiston, Maine?
- We can't say. Lewiston's code defines a tourist home, but it doesn't appear in the current Land Use Table. Bed and breakfasts as a home occupation are listed in every district except Industrial and Resource Conservation.
Maine state rules for short-term rentals
No statewide STR license. Maine has no state registration or permit for Airbnb/VRBO hosts. State law instead lets each town regulate short-term rentals (30-A M.R.S. §4364-C(2), passed in 2022). Check your town's rules.
Lodging tax (Maine Revenue Services):
- Rentals of living quarters are taxed at 9%, still the rate in 2026.
- Booking platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO must register with the state and collect the tax on bookings made through them.
- If you rent a single unit for fewer than 15 days a year, you generally aren't a "retailer" and don't need to register.
- If you rent 15 days or more in a year, you must register with Maine Revenue Services and collect tax on any bookings you take directly.
- A stay of 28+ days in a row is tax-exempt only in certain cases, such as when the unit is the guest's primary residence.
No state lodging license for vacation rentals. Maine's lodging-license law leaves out "vacation rentals," meaning homes rented to people with a permanent home elsewhere. B&Bs, inns and hotels do need a license.
ADUs: Starting July 1, 2027, towns can't require ADU owners to live on the property. State guidance says towns can still regulate STRs, for example by requiring registration or banning STRs in ADUs.
What the ordinance says
- Ch. 22, Sec. 22-2 Definitions, Lodging house, Code of Ordinances Chapter 22 - Businesses (licensing; Sec. 22-2 definitions incl. lodging house), p. 10
"Lodging house" does not include vacation rentals; youth camps; dormitories of charitable, educational or philanthropic institutions; fraternity or sorority houses affiliated with educational institutions;
- Ch. 22, Sec. 22-474 License required, Code of Ordinances Chapter 22 - Businesses (licensing; Sec. 22-2 definitions incl. lodging house), p. 82
A person is in violation of this article if the person allows a room in an unlicensed lodging house to be occupied or let; offers to another such a room for occupancy or charge; or, accepts or retains payment for any such room.
- Ch. 23, Sec. 23-202(b) Applicability; exceptions, Code of Ordinances Chapter 23 - Residential Rental Property (Art. II Registration Requirement for Multi-Family Buildings, Secs. 23-200 to 23-209), p. 3
The provisions of this article do not apply to single family dwelling units; dwelling units in cooperative, condominium, or townhouse buildings where no one entity owns more than two dwelling units; lodging houses, hotels, motels, or bed and breakfasts;
- Art. II, Sec. 2 Definitions, Bed and breakfast establishment, Zoning and Land Use Code (Appendix A) Article II - Definitions (as amended through Ord. 26-02, eff. 2026-03-05), p. 5
Bed and breakfast establishment means an accessory use to a single-family dwelling involving the renting of rooms to transient guests who are staying for a limited duration and the serving of breakfast to houseguests. A bed and breakfast establishment with four (4) or fewer rooms available for lodging shall be considered a home occupation if criteria (1) through (7) for home occupations are met.
- Planning & Code Enforcement memo to Planning Board, Short Term Rental (STR) Ordinance (Nov. 18, 2025), Planning & Code Enforcement memo to Planning Board: Short Term Rental (STR) Ordinance (Nov 18, 2025), in Planning Board agenda packet of Dec 8, 2025 (p. 26), p. 26
Based on current data and the pipeline of residential development, Staff advises that an STR ordinance is not necessary at this time.
- Art. XII, Sec. 17 Off-street parking, parking requirements table, Zoning and Land Use Code (Appendix A) Article XII - Performance Standards (as amended through Ord. 26-05, eff. 2026-03-05), p. 76
Bed and breakfast establishments Two spaces plus one space per sleeping room
- Art. XI, Land Use Table (6.04.2026), Residential: Bed and breakfast row, Zoning and Land Use Code (Appendix A) Article XI - District Regulations incl. Land Use Table and Space & Bulk Table (as amended through Ord. 26-19, eff. 2026-08-20), p. 9
Bed and breakfast establishments as a home occupation P P P P P (2) P P P P P P P P (2) P P (2)