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Short-Term Rentals (Airbnb / VRBO) in Maine: rules in 21 towns compared
Can I rent my home on Airbnb or VRBO? Here's how each town answers it. Click a town for the details and the exact ordinance text.
Last reviewed
This page is for Maine homeowners who rent, or want to rent, a home, room or ADU on Airbnb or VRBO. Maine has no statewide short-term rental license or registration. Instead, state law (30-A M.R.S. §4364-C) lets each town regulate short-term rentals. Maine's lodging-license law leaves out vacation rentals, but the state's 9% tax on rentals of living quarters applies. Booking platforms collect it on bookings made through them, and if you rent 15 days or more in a year you must register with Maine Revenue Services and collect tax on bookings you take directly.
Of the 21 towns we cover, 11 require an annual short-term rental registration, license or permit now, and Scarborough's registration starts January 1, 2027. Ogunquit requires a business registration and allows whole-house rentals only for stays of 7 days or more. York lists short-term rentals as a permitted use but keeps its permit rules in a separate ordinance we didn't review. The other 7 have no short-term rental registration in the ordinances we reviewed. Several towns, including Portland, South Portland and Cape Elizabeth, tie at least some rentals to the owner's primary residence. Pick your town below.
Town-by-town comparison
| Town | Verdict | Short answer |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Elizabeth | Restricted | Only in limited ways. Cape Elizabeth requires an annual Short Term Rental Permit from the Code Enforcement Officer for any stay under 30 days, and allows just four types: renting part of your primary home while you're there, renting your whole primary home while away for up to 42 days a year, a property on 7+ acres (up to 182 days), or a second unit next to your home while you're in residence (up to 105 days). Rentals are limited to one booking per 7-day period (two if hosted), and STRs aren't allowed in accessory dwelling units. |
| Falmouth | Allowed with a permit | Yes, if you register. Falmouth requires every short-term rental (stays under 30 consecutive days) to be registered with the town and renewed each year by January 1. You must be the owner, name an emergency contact who can respond within 60 minutes, and show at least $1 million in liability coverage. |
| Yarmouth | Allowed | Yarmouth's ordinances don't require a permit, registration, or license to rent your home short-term. The Rental Dwelling Ordinance defines a Short-Term Rental as a stay of less than 30 days, but its only remaining rule covers rent-increase notice for large long-term rental buildings. Units designated affordable under the zoning ordinance can't be used as short-term rentals. |
| Cumberland | Not specifically regulated | Cumberland's ordinances we reviewed don't specifically regulate short-term rentals like Airbnb or VRBO: we found no registration, license, cap or minimum-stay rule. Renting rooms to overnight guests in your home as a bed-and-breakfast is a separate use that is treated as a home occupation. |
| North Yarmouth | Not specifically regulated | North Yarmouth doesn't have a short-term rental ordinance, and its Land Use Ordinance has no registration, license, cap or minimum-stay rule for Airbnb or VRBO rentals. Maine's state lodging-tax rules still apply. |
| Freeport | Allowed with a permit | Yes, but you need an annual short-term rental registration from the Freeport Town Clerk before you list or rent. A short-term rental is any stay under 28 days. Occupancy is capped at 2 guests per bedroom plus 2 more, every guest vehicle needs an off-street space, and the town issues no more than 300 registrations per year. Renting no more than twice a year for under 14 total days doesn't count as a short-term rental. |
| Scarborough | Depends on your zone | It depends on your zone. In Scarborough's main residential zones (RF, RFM, R2, R3, R4, R4A), renting out the home you live in for under 28 days needs a special exception from the Zoning Board of Appeals unless the property is in the Coastal Beach Zone, and non-owner-occupied (investment) rentals are allowed only in the Coastal Beach Zone. Starting January 1, 2027 every short-term rental must also be registered with the Town Clerk (deadline December 31, 2026), and STRs are never allowed in an ADU or in the house on a lot with an ADU. |
| South Portland | Restricted | Only in limited ways. In South Portland's residential zones you can short-term rent only as a registered "Hosted Home Stay": the property must be your homestead-exempt primary residence and you must be present during the stay. Whole-home "Non-Hosted" rentals are prohibited in residential districts, apart from a 14-day-a-year exemption for owners of single-family homes. Every rental must be registered annually with the City Clerk, pass a fire inspection, and is limited to two guests per bedroom and six guests total. |
| Portland | Restricted | Only if the home is your primary residence. On the mainland, a single-family home can be a short-term rental (under 30 days) only if it is owner-occupied or tenant-occupied with the owner's permission. Every unit must be registered with Permitting & Inspections each year; the first owner-occupied unit costs $100. Non-owner-occupied units are capped citywide, ADUs count as non-owner-occupied (newly built ADUs are exempt from the cap for 5 years), and new tenant-occupied registrations stopped in 2026. |
| Gorham | Not specifically regulated | Gorham's ordinances that we reviewed don't specifically regulate short-term rentals such as Airbnb or VRBO. We found no registration, license, cap or minimum-stay rule. Renting rooms with breakfast in a home you live in is treated as a bed and breakfast, which is limited to 3 guest rooms as a home occupation. |
| Harpswell | Not specifically regulated | Harpswell's ordinances that we reviewed don't regulate short-term rentals like Airbnb or VRBO. We found no registration, license, fee, cap or minimum-stay rule. Renting out a residence isn't treated as a commercial use, and a bed and breakfast with up to 4 guest bedrooms in an owner-occupied home counts as a home occupation. |
| Brunswick | Allowed with a permit | Brunswick has no separate short-term rental license, but STRs (including ADUs) count as rental units and must be registered each year with the Fire Department's Fire Prevention Office by January 15. Missing the registration brings a $50 per unit penalty that doubles every 30 days up to $400 per unit. |
| Kennebunk | Allowed with a permit | Yes, but since January 1, 2025 you must register each short-term rental (stays under 15 days) with the Town Clerk every year and pass a fire inspection by the Fire Department. The fee is $250 to register and $150 to renew. Accessory dwelling units can't be used as short-term rentals. |
| Kennebunkport | Allowed with a permit | Yes, with an annual short-term rental license from Kennebunkport's Code Enforcement Officer for any rental under 30 consecutive days. The town caps the total number of licenses each year (Goose Rocks Beach is exempt from the cap), and occupancy is limited to two guests per bedroom plus two. |
| York | Allowed with a permit | York's Zoning Ordinance lists "Short-Term Residential Rental" (stays of 30 days or less) as a permitted use in its residential zones, with the Code Enforcement Officer as the permitting authority, and requires 1.25 parking spaces per bedroom. STRs are banned on any lot with an accessory dwelling unit. The ordinance says permitting standards are in a separate Short-Term Residential Rental Ordinance, which we didn't have, so confirm current registration rules with Code Enforcement. |
| Kittery | Allowed with a permit | Yes, with an annual short-term rental license from Kittery's Code Enforcement Officer. You need one for any rental of less than 30 consecutive days. Only the property owner can apply, and you can rent to no more than two adults per bedroom. Licenses for owner-occupied homes and seasonal dwellings aren't capped, but licenses for other units are limited. |
| Ogunquit | Restricted | You can rent your whole home to one family for stays of at least seven days (Ogunquit calls this a TA-1 weekly private home rental), but nightly or weekend rentals of a house aren't allowed. Weekly rentals don't need a zoning permit in most districts, but the town requires you to register the rental as a business with the Town Clerk. Accessory dwelling units can't be used as short-term rentals. |
| Camden | Allowed with a permit | Yes, with an annual Town license. Since January 1, 2025, every short-term rental (28 days or less) in Camden must be licensed with the Code Enforcement Officer before it's rented. Only the record owner can apply, and the fee is $350 a year for a rental at your primary residence ($500 seasonal, $1,000 commercial). Which zones allow which type of rental is set in the zoning chapter, which we couldn't review. |
| Rockport | Allowed | Rockport's Land Use Ordinance defines short-term rentals (stays of less than 30 consecutive days) but, in the documents we reviewed, sets no STR registration, license, fee, cap or owner-occupancy rule. Short-term rental units count as Rental Housing Units, which the Code Officer or Fire Chief inspects for habitability and life safety when the property is sold or a tenant complains. |
| Bar Harbor | Allowed with a permit | Only with a town registration, and only where the Land Use Ordinance allows it. Bar Harbor requires every short-term rental to be registered with the Code Enforcement Officer, pass a life safety inspection, and renew each year (registrations expire May 31). VR-1 registrations are limited to an owner's primary residence; VR-2 registrations are capped and have a waitlist. |
| Mount Desert | Not specifically regulated | 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. |
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.
Common questions about short-term rentals in Maine
- Do I need a license to rent my house on Airbnb in Maine?
- Not from the state. Maine has no statewide short-term rental license or registration, and the state lodging-license law leaves out vacation rentals. Your town may require one, though: 11 of the 21 towns we cover require an annual registration, license or permit, and Scarborough's starts January 1, 2027.
- Do I have to pay lodging tax on a short-term rental in Maine?
- Yes. 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. You're responsible for collecting it on bookings you take directly if you're required to register.
- Do I need to register with Maine Revenue Services for an Airbnb?
- If you rent 15 days or more in a year, yes: you must register with Maine Revenue Services and collect tax on any bookings you take directly. 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.
- Can Maine towns limit short-term rentals?
- Yes. State law (30-A M.R.S. §4364-C, passed in 2022) lets each town regulate short-term rentals. In the towns we cover, rules include annual registration, caps on the number of licenses, occupancy limits, primary-residence requirements and, in Ogunquit, a 7-day minimum stay for whole-house rentals.
- Can I rent my ADU as a short-term rental in Maine?
- It depends on your town. State guidance says towns can still regulate short-term rentals in ADUs, for example by requiring registration or banning them, even after the July 1, 2027 change that stops towns from requiring ADU owners to live on the property.
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