Short-term rental (Airbnb) rules in Plymouth, Massachusetts
Yes, with a Board of Health permit. Since January 1, 2024, anyone renting a home or rooms in Plymouth for stays under 31 days (more than 14 days a year) must register and get a short-term rental permit from the Department of Public Health, with a $50 annual fee. Homes with failed or nonconforming septic systems get only a provisional permit, subsidized/affordable homes are ineligible, and ADUs can't be short-term rentals.
| What counts as a short-term rental | Stays under 31 consecutive days, rented more than 14 days in a calendar year [1] |
| Permit required | Yes, from the Plymouth Department of Public Health before renting [4] |
| Annual fee | $50 per year [7] |
| Liability insurance | At least $1,000,000 [11] |
| Max adult occupancy (non-exempt homes) | 2 more than twice the number of bedrooms (e.g., 6 for a 2-bedroom), and no more than the septic system's capacity [5] |
| Minimum rental period | No hourly rentals or stays under 8 consecutive hours [6] |
| Septic | Failed/nonconforming system: provisional permit only (2 years, renewable up to 5 years total) while reaching Title 5 compliance [12] |
| ADUs | May not be used as short-term rentals [9] |
| Pre-rental inspection | Not required (town STR page) [10] |
Who needs a permit
Plymouth's Board of Health regulation defines a short-term rental as renting a dwelling unit, or bedrooms in one, for less than 31 consecutive days and for more than 14 days total in a calendar year [1]. All operators or booking agents must file for a permit with the Department of Public Health (PDPH) before renting, show proof of state STR registration and insurance [4], and pay a $50 annual fee [7]. The town's STR page confirms registration and a permit have been required since January 1, 2024, with a $50 annual registration fee [8].
Ineligible and partially exempt homes
Mobile homes, RVs or campers parked in driveways, and homes built with or receiving affordable-housing or other subsidy are ineligible [2]. Owner-occupied rentals (you live there during the stay) and owner-adjacent rentals can be partially exempt if they show sufficient parking and a conforming septic system; they still need the permit, fee and basic safety requirements. A home with a failed or nonconforming septic system gets only a provisional permit [3]; it lasts two years and can be renewed for up to five years in total while the system is brought into Title 5 compliance [12]. The zoning bylaw also says an ADU may not be used as a short-term rental [9].
Safety and operating rules
Every rental needs working smoke detectors at bedrooms, CO detectors on each level, a fire extinguisher near the kitchen, tested well water if on a well, and a septic pumping record from the past three years. For non-exempt homes, adult occupancy is capped at two more than twice the number of bedrooms and can't exceed septic capacity [5]; operators must carry at least $1,000,000 liability insurance [11]; and rentals by the hour or under eight consecutive hours aren't allowed [6]. Off-street parking should be provided where possible.
About our source
The regulation PDF the town links as current still carries a "PROPOSED" header, but its effective-date section says it took effect January 1, 2024, with licenses beginning May 1, 2024 [13], it carries Board of Health e-signatures from August 2023, and the town's STR page says the permit has been required since January 1, 2024 [8]. Most of its pages are scanned images that we read with OCR, so check exact wording with the Public Health Department. The town page says no pre-rental inspection is needed [10], but the regulation lets the department inspect a new rental that lacks a completed self-attestation form. The regulation covers no local tax rates; state registration and room-occupancy tax rules also apply.
See how Plymouth compares with 8+ other Massachusetts towns on short-term rentals (airbnb / vrbo) →
Next steps
- Register your property with the Massachusetts DOR (MassTaxConnect) and get liability insurance of at least $1,000,000.
- Check your septic status (Title 5 compliance and a pumping record within 3 years) with the Plymouth Department of Public Health.
- Register and apply for a Short Term Rental Permit through the Public Health Department's online form and pay the $50 annual fee.
- Post the required information in the unit (permit, emergency exit diagram, emergency contact, trash/recycling rules) and keep occupancy records for at least four months.
Common questions
- Do I need a permit for a short-term rental in Plymouth, MA?
- Yes. Since January 1, 2024, anyone renting a home or rooms in Plymouth for stays under 31 days, more than 14 days a year, must register and get a short-term rental permit from the Department of Public Health, with a $50 annual fee.
- What are the Airbnb rules in Plymouth, Massachusetts?
- Operators need at least $1,000,000 in liability insurance and state STR registration. For non-exempt homes, adult occupancy is capped at 2 more than twice the bedrooms and can't exceed septic capacity, and rentals under 8 consecutive hours aren't allowed.
- Can I short-term rent a home with a failed septic system in Plymouth, MA?
- Only provisionally. A home with a failed or nonconforming septic system gets a provisional permit lasting 2 years, renewable for up to 5 years total, while the system is brought into Title 5 compliance.
- Which homes can't be short-term rentals in Plymouth, Massachusetts?
- Subsidized or affordable homes, mobile homes, and RVs or campers parked in driveways are ineligible, and ADUs can't be used as short-term rentals.
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
- Definitions, STR or STRs, Board of Health Short-Term Rental Regulation (effective January 1, 2024), p. 2
STR or STRs: Any rental of a residential dwelling unit, or bedroom or bedrooms within a dwelling unit, in exchange for monetary payment or in-kind non-monetary barter, as residential accommodations for a duration of less than thirty-one (31) consecutive days and rented for a period greater than 14 days total within a calendar year.
- Definitions, Exclusions, Board of Health Short-Term Rental Regulation (effective January 1, 2024), p. 2
EXCLUSIONS: Mobile homes, multi-family residences of three (3) units or greater unless the owner is a full-time resident in the multi-family; homes that receive assistance such as affordable housing loans or Habitat for Humanity or other public or private subsidy; Recreational Vehicles (RV’s) that remain stationary for the duration of the rental period in driveways are not eligible.
- 4.A Registration and Operational Procedures, Board of Health Short-Term Rental Regulation (effective January 1, 2024), p. 3
A. No permit to license will be issued for STR to properties with a non-conforming wastewater disposal system (e.g., failed system). The PDPH will verify through records the history of the dwelling unit wastewater treatment (public, private - Title 5 compliant; failed). Dwellings for STR with failed wastewater treatment will be issued a Provisional Permit.
- 4.D Basic Safety and Permitting/Licensing Regulations, Board of Health Short-Term Rental Regulation (effective January 1, 2024), p. 3
i. All STR operators or booking agents shall file for a permit to license with the PDPH prior to STR use and occupancy.
- 4.D Additional Requirements for Non-Exempt Properties (i), Board of Health Short-Term Rental Regulation (effective January 1, 2024), p. 4
The maximum occupancy by adults over the age of 16 shall be set at two (2) more than twice the number of bedrooms
- 4.D Additional Requirements for Non-Exempt Properties, Board of Health Short-Term Rental Regulation (effective January 1, 2024), p. 4
Renting for an hourly rate, or for rental durations of less than eight (8) consecutive hours, shall not be permitted.
- 5. Fees, Board of Health Short-Term Rental Regulation (effective January 1, 2024), p. 5
The fee to operate an STR shall be $50 per year, payable to the PDPH upon receipt of the application.
- Short Term Rental page, Short Term Rental - Public Health Department page
Effective 1/1/2024: Annual $50 Registration Fee
- §201-3 Definitions, Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU), Zoning Bylaw of the Town of Plymouth (as amended through October 2025), p. 5
2. Not be used as a short-term rental unit as defined by MGL c. 64G;
- Short Term Rental page, Short Term Rental - Public Health Department page
You do not need to have a Pre-Rental inspection
- 4.D Additional Requirements for Non-Exempt Properties (iii), Board of Health Short-Term Rental Regulation (effective January 1, 2024), p. 4
As required by state law, STR operators shall maintain liability insurance in the amount of at least $1,000,000 to cover the STR use.
- 2. Definitions, Provisional Permit, Board of Health Short-Term Rental Regulation (effective January 1, 2024), p. 2
A provisional permit will be issued and will expire at the end of two years but may be renewed annually for up to three additional years upon application to the Plymouth Board of Health provided that assurance is provided that compliance with MGL 310.CMR 15.000 Title 5 and Supplements to Title 5 and BOH for the Town of Plymouth updated 4- 13-2011 will be achieved prior to the expiration of the maximum provisional permit period of five years.
- 8. Effective Date, Board of Health Short-Term Rental Regulation (effective January 1, 2024), p. 6
The provisions of this BOH Regulation “Short-Term Rentals” shall take effect on January 1, 2024 in order to allow potential STRs to begin the permitting process for compliance to take effect on May 1, 2024.