Short-term rental (Airbnb) rules in Mount Desert, Maine
The Mount Desert ordinances we reviewed don't specifically regulate short-term rentals like Airbnb or VRBO. We found no registration, license, fee, cap or minimum-stay rule. Renting rooms in your home to overnight guests falls under the town's bed and breakfast rules: you must live there, with at most 3 guest rooms and 8 guests.
| STR license or registration | None found in the ordinances we reviewed [1] |
| Rental units count as dwelling units | Yes, regardless of how long they're rented [1] |
| Bed and breakfast (renting rooms in your home) | Host must live there; max 3 guest rooms and 8 guests; off-street parking [2] |
| Occupancy of a dwelling by unrelated people | A "family" includes up to 5 unrelated people [4] |
No short-term rental ordinance
Mount Desert's Land Use Zoning Ordinance doesn't use the term "short-term rental" and doesn't require a license, registration, fee or minimum stay for renting a home. It also sets no cap or zone limits. The ordinance does say a dwelling unit includes rental units with cooking, toilet and sleeping facilities, regardless of the rental period [1]. Renting out a whole house or an existing apartment is treated like any other residential use of that dwelling.
Renting rooms
If you rent rooms in your own home, the bed and breakfast rules apply. The host must live in the home, and you can have at most 3 guest rooms and 8 guests, with off-street parking [2]. The ordinance separately defines a "transient" as a visitor staying somewhere that isn't their permanent residence [3], and regulates rooming houses, hotels and motels as commercial uses in certain districts.
Occupancy
A dwelling unit is for one "family," which the ordinance defines to include up to five unrelated people living as a single housekeeping unit [4].
What to check
Because the town's ordinances don't address short-term rentals directly, check with the Town Office before listing in case the rules have changed since our review. State lodging tax rules apply regardless; see the state rules on this page.
See how Mount Desert compares with 8+ other Maine towns on short-term rentals (airbnb / vrbo) →
Next steps
- Ask the Mount Desert Town Office or Code Enforcement / Planning (207-276-5731) whether any short-term rental rules have been adopted since our review.
- If you plan to rent rooms while living in the home, keep to the bed and breakfast limits (3 rooms, 8 guests, off-street parking).
- Register with Maine Revenue Services for lodging tax if required (see the state rules on this page).
Common questions
- Does Mount Desert, Maine have short-term rental rules?
- Not specifically. The ordinances we reviewed don't regulate Airbnb or VRBO and have no registration, license, fee, cap or minimum-stay rule. Check with the Town Office before listing.
- Do I need a license to rent my house on Airbnb in Mount Desert, Maine?
- We found no license or registration requirement. Renting a whole house or existing apartment is treated like any other residential use of that dwelling.
- Can I rent rooms in my home to guests in Mount Desert, Maine?
- Bed and breakfast rules apply. The host must live in the home, with at most 3 guest rooms and 8 guests and off-street parking.
- How many unrelated people can live in one home in Mount Desert, Maine?
- A dwelling unit is for one family, which the ordinance defines to include up to five unrelated people living as a single housekeeping unit.
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
- Sec. 8, Definitions: Residential Dwelling Unit, Land Use Zoning Ordinance, p. 119
RESIDENTIAL DWELLING UNIT: A room or a group of rooms designed for permanent, seasonal, or temporary habitation by one family at a time that includes cooking, toilet, and sleeping facilities. The term shall include manufactured housing, and rental units that contain cooking, toilet and sleeping facilities (regardless of the time period rented).
- Sec. 6B.10.2, Bed and breakfast, Land Use Zoning Ordinance, p. 53
Bed and Breakfast accommodations are permitted in the legal residence of the host/hostess who shall reside on the premises. There shall be not more than three (3) rooms devoted to guests nor more than eight (8) people accommodated. Off-street parking is required.
- Sec. 8, Definitions: Transient, Land Use Zoning Ordinance, p. 123
TRANSIENT: A person visiting the community and staying at a place that does not constitute his or her permanent residence or usual dwelling unit.
- Sec. 8, Definitions: Family, Land Use Zoning Ordinance, p. 109
FAMILY: One or more persons related by blood, marriage, adoption, or guardianship, or not more than five (5) persons not so related occupying a dwelling unit and living as a single housekeeping unit: