Short-term rental (Airbnb) rules in Nantucket, Massachusetts
Allowed with a permit
Yes, if you register. Since January 1, 2023, every short-term rental on Nantucket needs a Board of Health certificate of registration, which costs $250 per unit per year and must be renewed by November 1. You also need a local contact who can be on site within two hours, $1 million of liability insurance (unless your platform covers it), and occupancy of no more than two people per bedroom plus two.
| Registration required | Board of Health certificate of registration (since Jan 1, 2023) [1] |
| Annual fee | $250 per unit [2] |
| Renewal deadline | November 1 each year [1] |
| Local contact | Someone able to be on site within 2 hours, 24 hours a day [3] |
| Liability insurance | At least $1 million per claim (unless the platform provides equal coverage) [4] |
| Max occupancy | 2 people per bedroom plus 2 [5] |
| Rentals not counted as STRs | Stays over 31 days, or 14 days or less total per year [8] |
Registration
As of January 1, 2023, no one may operate a short-term rental without a certificate of registration from the Board of Health, renewed every year by November 1 [1]. The fee is $250 per unit [2], and each dwelling unit needs its own certificate, even on the same property [7]. You must also hold a state certificate from the Department of Revenue and include a copy with your application.
What the application requires
- A local designated person available 24 hours a day to be physically on site within two hours [3].
- Proof of liability insurance of at least $1 million per claim, unless the hosting platform carries equal or greater coverage [4].
- Attestations that you comply with state and local laws and are current on town taxes and fees, and disclosure of any deed restriction that bars short-term renting.
- LLCs and S corporations qualify only if all members are natural persons who aren't officers or investors in a corporation, partnership or REIT that runs a Nantucket STR [9].
Operating rules
- Occupancy is capped at two people per bedroom plus two [5].
- Every ad must show your certificate of registration number [6].
- Guests must get contact info, emergency exit diagrams, trash instructions and copies of the Noise and Outdoor Lighting bylaws.
- Keep stay records for three years and file quarterly reports with the Board of Health.
What counts as a short-term rental
The town's FAQ says rentals of more than 31 days, or a total of 14 days or less in a year, aren't short-term rentals and don't need town registration [8].
Zoning
We couldn't review the Chapter 139 Zoning Bylaw, which was amended at the November 2025 Special Town Meeting to address where short-term rentals are allowed, or the Chapter 123 general bylaw on short-term rentals. Confirm with the town that your district allows short-term rentals before you register.
See how Nantucket compares with 8+ other Massachusetts towns on short-term rentals (airbnb / vrbo) →
Next steps
- Register with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue through MassTaxConnect and get your state certificate.
- Apply to the Nantucket Board of Health (Health Department) for a short-term rental certificate of registration for each unit, with the $250 fee, insurance certificate and local contact details.
- Renew every year by November 1 to operate the following year.
- Ask the PLUS Building Office (508-325-7587) whether the Zoning Bylaw allows short-term rentals in your district.
Common questions
- Do I need to register a short-term rental in Nantucket, Massachusetts?
- Yes. Since January 1, 2023, every short-term rental needs a Board of Health certificate of registration, which costs $250 per unit per year and must be renewed by November 1.
- What are the short-term rental requirements in Nantucket, Massachusetts?
- You need a local contact who can be on site within 2 hours, $1 million of liability insurance (unless your platform covers it), and occupancy of no more than 2 people per bedroom plus 2.
- Which rentals don't count as short-term rentals in Nantucket, Massachusetts?
- Stays over 31 days, or 14 days or less total per year.
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
- Ch. 338, Short-Term Rental Property regulations, certificate of registration required, Chapter 338: Short-Term Rental Property (Board of Health registration regulation) (eCode360), p. 1
As of January 1, 2023, no person shall operate a short-term rental (as defined in § 123-4 ) without having first obtained a certificate of registration from the Board of Health. The certificate of registration must be renewed annually by November 1.
- Ch. 338, Short-Term Rental Property regulations, application (B), Chapter 338: Short-Term Rental Property (Board of Health registration regulation) (eCode360), p. 1
The annual fee of $250 per unit for such certificate of registration shall be submitted with the application.
- Ch. 338, Short-Term Rental Property regulations, application (C)(4), Chapter 338: Short-Term Rental Property (Board of Health registration regulation) (eCode360), p. 1
The name, address and contact information for at least one individual who will be available to be physically on site 24 hours a day to address any issues at the short-term rental within two hours' notice ("local designated person"), including, but not limited to, any conditions which may endanger or impair the health or safety and well-being of a person or persons occupying the premises, as set forth in 105 CMR 410.750 .
- Ch. 338, Short-Term Rental Property regulations, application (C)(5), Chapter 338: Short-Term Rental Property (Board of Health registration regulation) (eCode360), p. 1
A certificate of insurance evidencing liability insurance coverage for operation of the premises as a short-term rental with liability limits of at least $1 million per claim, unless such short-term rental is offered through a hosting platform that maintains equal or greater coverage.
- Ch. 338, Short-Term Rental Property regulations, operating requirements (A) Occupancy, Chapter 338: Short-Term Rental Property (Board of Health registration regulation) (eCode360), p. 1
Occupancy. Occupancy of a short-term rental shall be limited to two people per bedroom plus two additional people in the unit.
- Ch. 338, Short-Term Rental Property regulations, operating requirements (C) Advertising, Chapter 338: Short-Term Rental Property (Board of Health registration regulation) (eCode360), p. 1
All advertisements for short-term rentals, whether online or at a real estate agency, shall include the operator's certificate of registration number and shall be consistent with the short-term rental information provided in the application to the Town.
- Short-Term Rentals FAQs, registration requirements, Short-Term Rentals FAQs (Town of Nantucket), p. 1
each dwelling unit offered for rent as a short-term rental must have a separate certificate of registration. This applies even if the units are located on the same property.
- Short-Term Rentals FAQs, definition, Short-Term Rentals FAQs (Town of Nantucket), p. 1
Rental periods with a change in occupancy in excess of 31 calendar days shall not be considered a short-term rental. The rental of property for a total of 14 days or less in any calendar year shall not be considered a short-term rental.
- Ch. 338, Short-Term Rental Property regulations, application (C)(7), Chapter 338: Short-Term Rental Property (Board of Health registration regulation) (eCode360), p. 1
In accordance with §§ 123-2 and 123-3H , a limited liability company (LLC) or an S Corporation shall be eligible to apply for a certificate of registration only if all of its members, partners, beneficiaries, or shareholders, as the case may be, are natural persons, none of whom serve as an officer or director of a corporation, a member of a partnership, or an officer or investor in a real estate investment trust, that owns or operates, either directly or indirectly, a short-term rental in Nantucket.
This page summarizes Nantucket's posted bylaws as of 2026-10-03. Bylaws are amended, and individual lots can have overlays, subdivision covenants, or HOA rules that are stricter. Confirm with Planning & Land Use Services (PLUS) - Building Office (508-325-7587) before you build. Spot an error?