Short-term rental (Airbnb) rules in Concord, Massachusetts
Only with a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals. Concord treats short-term rentals as a "tourist home or bed and breakfast," which can be allowed in a single-family detached home with no more than 3 rooms used for guests, and never on a lot with an accessory dwelling unit.
| Approval | Special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals [1] |
| Zoning term | Short-term rentals are treated as a 'tourist home or bed and breakfast' [3] |
| Type of home | Single-family detached dwelling [1] |
| Max rooms rented | 3 rooms per dwelling unit [1] |
| Districts | Special permit in all residential districts (RAA, RA, RB, RC) [2] |
| ADUs | Neither an ADU nor the main house on an ADU lot may be used as a tourist home or B&B [4] |
How Concord classifies short-term rentals
Concord's Zoning Bylaw has no separate short-term rental registration. Its index says "Short-term rental see Tourist home" [3], so renting to overnight guests falls under §5.3.15, Tourist home or bed and breakfast.
Special permit required
The "Board" that grants these permits is the Zoning Board of Appeals [5]. It may, by special permit, let a single-family detached home be used for temporary overnight accommodations for a fee. No more than three rooms in any dwelling unit may be used for guests [1]. Table II requires a special permit in all four residential districts (Residence AA, A, B and C) [2]. A special permit is discretionary. The Board holds a public hearing and can attach conditions.
What isn't allowed
- If your lot has an accessory dwelling unit, neither the ADU nor the main house may be used as a tourist home or bed and breakfast [4]. You can't put the ADU on Airbnb.
- The bylaw speaks only of single-family detached dwellings, so units in two-family or multi-unit buildings don't fit §5.3.15.
- Renting longer-term rooms to lodgers is a separate use: a boarding house needs its own special permit in residential districts [6].
What the bylaw doesn't cover
The sources we reviewed set no local registration fee, minimum stay, night cap, or owner-occupancy rule for short-term rentals. It's also unclear whether renting a whole house with more than three bedrooms fits the three-room limit. Ask the Building Commissioner before you list. State registration and room-occupancy tax rules apply separately.
See how Concord compares with 8+ other Massachusetts towns on short-term rentals (airbnb / vrbo) →
Next steps
- Ask Building & Inspections (978-318-3280) whether your rental plan counts as a tourist home under Zoning Bylaw §5.3.15.
- File a special permit application with the Zoning Board of Appeals, with a floor plan showing which rooms (up to 3) guests will use, and attend the public hearing.
- Once approved, follow any conditions in the decision and register the rental with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.
Common questions
- Are short-term rentals allowed in Concord, Massachusetts?
- Only with a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals. Concord treats them as a "tourist home or bed and breakfast," which can be allowed in a single-family detached home, and never on a lot with an accessory dwelling unit.
- How many rooms can I rent on Airbnb in Concord, Massachusetts?
- No more than 3 rooms in any dwelling unit may be used for guests. It's unclear whether renting a whole house with more than three bedrooms fits that limit, so ask the Building Commissioner.
- Can I rent my ADU short-term in Concord, Massachusetts?
- No. If your lot has an ADU, neither the ADU nor the main house may be used as a tourist home or bed and breakfast.
- Does Concord, Massachusetts have a short-term rental registration?
- The sources reviewed set no local registration fee, minimum stay, night cap or owner-occupancy rule. State registration and room-occupancy tax rules apply separately.
Massachusetts' short-term rental law
Since July 1, 2019, M.G.L. c. 64G has taxed and regulated short-term rentals: stays of 31 days or less in a home, apartment, condo or room booked in advance.
State requirements:
- Register with the Department of Revenue (DOR) on MassTaxConnect and get a Certificate of Registration for each property. Post it in the unit.
- 14-day exemption: if you rent a property 14 days or fewer in a calendar year, no tax is due. You still have to register and file DOR's declaration by January 15 each year. Go over 14 days and you owe tax on every day, including the first 14.
- State room occupancy excise: 5.7% of rent (including cleaning and booking fees).
- Local taxes on top, if your town has adopted them: a local excise of up to 6% (6.5% in Boston), and a community impact fee of up to 3%. The fee applies to "professionally managed" units (an operator with 2 or more units in a town, other than units in the owner's own 1 to 3 family home) and, by separate vote, to units in an owner-occupied 2 or 3 family house. Barnstable County towns add 2.75% for a regional water fund.
- Insurance: at least $1 million liability coverage per unit, unless the booking platform provides equal coverage (c. 175, §4F).
Towns may go further (c. 64G, §14). They can require local licenses and inspections, cap the number of days or units, limit where rentals are allowed, or ban them entirely.
What the bylaw says
- §5.3.15 Tourist home or bed and breakfast, Zoning Bylaw (amended through Annual Town Meeting April 2026), p. 28
5.3.15 Tourist home or bed and breakfast: The Board may, by special permit, authorize the use of a single-family detached dwelling unit for temporary accommodations for overnight 22 Town of Concord · Massachusetts guests for a fee, provided that no more than three (3) rooms in any dwelling unit may be used for such accommodations.
- Table II – Accessory Use Regulations, §5.3.15, Zoning Bylaw (amended through Annual Town Meeting April 2026), p. 26
5.3.15 Tourist home or bed and SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP no SP no no no no no no breakfast
- Appendix C Index, Zoning Bylaw (amended through Annual Town Meeting April 2026), p. 111
Short-term rental see Tourist home
- §4.2.2.2(l), Zoning Bylaw (amended through Annual Town Meeting April 2026), p. 16
(l) The single-family dwelling or the accessory dwelling unit shall not be used for a bed and breakfast or tourist home under Section 5.3.15; and
- §1.3.3 Board, Zoning Bylaw (amended through Annual Town Meeting April 2026), p. 7
1.3.3 Board: The Town of Concord Board of Appeals.
- Table I – Principal Use Regulations, §4.2.8, Zoning Bylaw (amended through Annual Town Meeting April 2026), p. 22
4.2.8 Boarding house SP SP SP SP no