Are short-term rentals allowed in Medford, MA?

Only in your primary residence, a home you live in at least nine months a year. Investment properties and second homes don't qualify.

How do I register a short-term rental in Medford, Massachusetts?

Register with the Medford Building Department before listing and pay the $200 annual fee. The property can't have outstanding code violations, unpaid taxes or liens.

How many days can I Airbnb my home in Medford, MA?

Renting rooms while you're home is allowed up to 365 days a year. Renting the whole unit while you're away is capped at 90 days a year in total.

How many guests can a short-term rental have in Medford, Massachusetts?

Up to 6, or 2 per guest bedroom, whichever is fewer, with one party at a time. Stays under 10 consecutive hours aren't allowed.

Short-term rental (Airbnb) rules in Medford, Massachusetts

Medford, Middlesex County · Bylaws checked 2026-10-15 · Reviewed 2026-10-15 · 8 cited sections

Restricted

Only in your primary residence. Medford allows short-term rentals of the home you live in at least nine months a year, with registration through the Building Department and a $200 annual fee; renting rooms while you're home is allowed year-round, but renting the whole unit while you're away is capped at 90 days a year.

Primary residence required	Yes (operator lives there 9 of 12 months) ^[1]
Max guests	6, or 2 per guest bedroom, whichever is fewer ^[2]
Hosted (rooms, operator present)	Up to 365 days per year ^[3]
Unhosted (whole unit, operator away)	90 days per year total ^[4]
Minimum stay	10 consecutive hours; no hourly rentals ^[5]
Registration	Building Department registry ^[6]
Annual fee	$200 ^[7]

Who can host

These rules come from the zoning ordinance as codified through April 16, 2024, and may have changed since. Medford's zoning ordinance (Sec. 94-8.4) lets residents rent out their own home short term, but the unit must be the operator's primary residence ^[1]. "Primary residence" means a unit where the operator lives at least nine months out of 12 ^[8]. A tenant can host only if the unit is their primary residence and the owner gives permission. Investment properties and second homes don't qualify.

How much you can rent

You can rent bedrooms in the home you're living in 365 days a year, as long as one bedroom stays reserved for and occupied by you ^[3]. If you're away and rent the whole unit, rentals are capped at 90 days a year in total ^[4]. Only one party of renters can book at a time, and guests are limited to six, or two per guest bedroom, whichever is fewer ^[2]. Hourly rentals and stays under ten consecutive hours aren't allowed, and commercial meetings are prohibited ^[5]. An ADU can't be used this way: Medford's ADU rules require rental terms of at least 30 days.

Registration and fees

You must register with the Building Department, online or on paper, before listing ^[6]. Units are recorded in the registry each year with a $200 annual fee ^[7]. Registration doesn't transfer when the unit is sold. The property can't have outstanding code violations, unpaid taxes or liens, and three violations within six months make the property ineligible for six months.

Posting and guest information

Inside the unit you must post trash and recycling instructions, parking rules, the noise ordinance, a local emergency contact and fire extinguisher locations, and give guests a card with police and fire numbers and on-street parking rules. Booking platforms report listings to the city quarterly. State registration and room-occupancy tax rules also apply.

See how Medford compares with 8+ other Massachusetts towns on short-term rentals (airbnb / vrbo) →

Next steps

Confirm the unit is your primary residence (you live there at least 9 months a year) and, if you rent, get the owner's permission; ask the Building Department what proof it accepts.
Register the unit with the Medford Building Department (781-393-2509) and pay the $200 annual registration fee.
Clear any outstanding building, fire, zoning or tax issues on the property before listing.
Post the required in-unit sign and prepare a community information card for guests.
Register with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue for the short-term rental excise.

Common questions

Are short-term rentals allowed in Medford, MA?: Only in your primary residence, a home you live in at least nine months a year. Investment properties and second homes don't qualify.
How do I register a short-term rental in Medford, Massachusetts?: Register with the Medford Building Department before listing and pay the $200 annual fee. The property can't have outstanding code violations, unpaid taxes or liens.
How many days can I Airbnb my home in Medford, MA?: Renting rooms while you're home is allowed up to 365 days a year. Renting the whole unit while you're away is capped at 90 days a year in total.
How many guests can a short-term rental have in Medford, Massachusetts?: Up to 6, or 2 per guest bedroom, whichever is fewer, with one party at a time. Stays under 10 consecutive hours aren't allowed.

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.

State sources: M.G.L. c. 64G, §1 (definitions) · M.G.L. c. 64G, §3 (state excise; 14-day exemption) · M.G.L. c. 64G, §3A (local excise) · M.G.L. c. 64G, §3D (community impact fees) · M.G.L. c. 64G, §14 (local regulation) · M.G.L. c. 175, §4F (STR liability insurance) · DOR, Room Occupancy Excise Tax (updated Apr 8, 2026)

What the bylaw says

Exact text from Medford's published bylaws. Section numbers are as printed in the source.

Sec. 94-8.4.4(1), Revised Ordinances Chapter 94 - Zoning (Municode, Supp. No. 18, codified through Ord. No. 889 adopted April 16, 2024), p. 1
A residential unit offered as a short term rental shall be the operator's primary residence.
Sec. 94-8.4.4(3), Revised Ordinances Chapter 94 - Zoning (Municode, Supp. No. 18, codified through Ord. No. 889 adopted April 16, 2024), p. 1
A residential unit offered as a short term rental shall be limited to six guests, or two guests per guest bedroom, whichever is fewer.
Sec. 94-8.4.5(1), Revised Ordinances Chapter 94 - Zoning (Municode, Supp. No. 18, codified through Ord. No. 889 adopted April 16, 2024), p. 1
An operator may offer bedrooms within their residential unit as a short term rental 365 days per year. One bedroom in the unit shall be reserved for, and occupied by, the operator during the entire term of the rental.
Sec. 94-8.4.5(2), Revised Ordinances Chapter 94 - Zoning (Municode, Supp. No. 18, codified through Ord. No. 889 adopted April 16, 2024), p. 1
Short term rentals shall not exceed, in the aggregate, 90 consecutive or nonconsecutive calendar days per year, when the operator is not occupying the residential unit during the entire term of the short term rental.
Sec. 94-8.4.6, Revised Ordinances Chapter 94 - Zoning (Municode, Supp. No. 18, codified through Ord. No. 889 adopted April 16, 2024), p. 1
Renting for an hourly rate, or for rental durations of fewer than ten consecutive hours shall not be permitted. Commercial meetings and uses are prohibited in short term rentals.
Sec. 94-8.4.13, Revised Ordinances Chapter 94 - Zoning (Municode, Supp. No. 18, codified through Ord. No. 889 adopted April 16, 2024), p. 1
An operator who wishes to offer his or her residential unit as a short term rental shall register with the building department, online or in a paper form prescribed by the building department, to be listed on a database maintained by the city that includes information on operators who are permitted to offer their residential units as short term rentals.
Sec. 94-8.4.13(2), Revised Ordinances Chapter 94 - Zoning (Municode, Supp. No. 18, codified through Ord. No. 889 adopted April 16, 2024), p. 1
Units shall be annually recorded in the short term rental registry and pay an annual registration fee to the City of Medford in the amount of $200.00.
Sec. 94-12.0, "Primary residence", Revised Ordinances Chapter 94 - Zoning (Municode, Supp. No. 18, codified through Ord. No. 889 adopted April 16, 2024), p. 1
A residential unit in which an operator resides for at least nine months out of a 12-month period.

This page summarizes Medford's posted bylaws as of 2026-10-15. Bylaws are amended, and individual lots can have overlays, subdivision covenants, or HOA rules that are stricter. Confirm with Building Department (Building/Zoning), City Hall Room 115A (781-393-2509) before you build. Spot an error?