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

Scituate, Plymouth County · Bylaws checked 2026-10-03 · Reviewed · 9 cited sections

Allowed

Scituate's bylaws we reviewed have no short-term rental license, registration or cap for renting out a house, but an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) may never be rented for stays of 31 days or less. The town's Housing By-law requires a Board of Health Certificate of Fitness before any dwelling is let, which may cover short-term rentals, and Scituate has adopted a 6% local room occupancy excise and a 3% community impact fee on some short-term rentals.

Local STR license or registrationNone found in the bylaws reviewed [1]
Rental Certificate of Fitness (Board of Health)Required before letting any dwelling unit (ask the Board of Health whether it applies to short-term stays); valid 1 year [7]
ADUs as short-term rentalsProhibited (stays of 31 days or less) [2]
ADU minimum rental term31 consecutive days [3]
Local room occupancy excise6% (amended 2026) [4]
Community impact fee3% on professionally managed units and on units in an owner-occupied 2- or 3-family home [9]
Renting rooms in your homeLodging for up to 3 persons, or a B&B with up to 2 guest bedrooms, as an accessory use [6]

No local licensing program found

Scituate's zoning bylaw defines a short-term rental by reference to state law (M.G.L. c. 64G) [1] but does not set up a registration, license, cap or minimum stay for renting out a single-family home. The town's general bylaws we reviewed don't contain a short-term rental bylaw either. Other sites have claimed Scituate requires registration; we couldn't confirm that in the town's bylaws, so check with the town before listing.

Rental housing inspection

Scituate's general Housing By-law says no one may rent out a dwelling unit for living or sleeping unless it has been inspected and the Board of Health has issued a Certificate of Fitness showing it meets the State Sanitary Code [7]. A certificate is good for one year regardless of changes in tenancy [8]. The bylaw doesn't mention short-term rentals specifically, so ask the Board of Health whether it applies to your listing.

ADUs can't be short-term rentals

An accessory dwelling unit may not be used as a short-term rental, meaning occupancy of 31 days or less. A restrictive covenant saying so must be recorded before the ADU gets its occupancy permit [2], and every ADU must have a minimum lease or rental term of 31 consecutive days [3]. So you can't put an in-law apartment or garage apartment on Airbnb for weekend stays.

Local taxes

Scituate has accepted the state law allowing a local room occupancy excise, at an amended rate of 6% as of 2026 [4]. It has also adopted a 3% community impact fee on "professionally managed" units [9] (the town's table describes these as two or more units in town run by the same operator, not in a 1- to 3-family home that includes the operator's primary residence) and on short-term rental units in a two- or three-family dwelling that includes the operator's primary residence [5]. These figures come from the town's table of accepted state laws, which lists 2026 as the year each was adopted. These are collected with the state 5.7% excise through the state's registration system (see state rules on this page).

Renting rooms

The zoning bylaw allows, as an accessory use of a home, a lodging or boarding house for up to three persons or a bed and breakfast with up to two guest bedrooms [6]. Larger B&Bs and lodging houses need a special permit in residential districts.

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

Next steps

  1. Register the property with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (MassTaxConnect) and collect the state excise plus Scituate's 6% local excise and any 3% community impact fee that applies.
  2. Ask the Board of Health (781-545-8725) whether you need a Certificate of Fitness inspection under the Housing By-law (Sec. 30350) before renting.
  3. Ask the Building Department (781-545-8716) and Town Clerk whether Scituate has any local registration or inspection requirement that isn't in the bylaws we reviewed.
  4. If the unit is an ADU, don't list it for stays of 31 days or less; the recorded covenant lets the town enforce this in court.

Common questions

Is Airbnb allowed in Scituate, Massachusetts?
The bylaws reviewed have no short-term rental license, registration or cap for renting out a house. An accessory dwelling unit may never be rented for stays of 31 days or less.
Do I need a license to rent short term in Scituate, Massachusetts?
No local short-term rental license was found. The Housing By-law requires a Board of Health Certificate of Fitness before any dwelling is let, so ask the Board whether it applies to short-term stays.
Are there taxes on short-term rentals in Scituate, Massachusetts?
Scituate has adopted a 6% local room occupancy excise and a 3% community impact fee on some short-term rentals.
Can I rent a room in my house in Scituate, Massachusetts?
Yes, as an accessory use: lodging for up to 3 persons, or a B&B with up to 2 guest bedrooms.

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 Scituate's published bylaws. Section numbers are as printed in the source.

  1. Sec. 200 (Definitions, Short Term Rental), Zoning Bylaw (including changes approved by April 13, 2026 Annual Town Meeting; AG approved July 9, 2026), p. 15
    SHORT TERM RENTAL Short-term rental, as defined in M.G.L. c. 64G, s. 1.
  2. Sec. 530.1A(D), Zoning Bylaw (including changes approved by April 13, 2026 Annual Town Meeting; AG approved July 9, 2026), p. 58
    Accessory Dwelling Units shall not be used as short-term rental units as defined in MGL Ch 64G, § 1, meaning periods of occupancy of 31 days or less. A restrictive covenant shall be recorded against the property to that effect prior to an occupancy permit for the accessory dwelling unit.
  3. Sec. 530.2(K), Zoning Bylaw (including changes approved by April 13, 2026 Annual Town Meeting; AG approved July 9, 2026), p. 60
    Accessory Dwelling Units shall have a minimum lease or rental term of 31 consecutive days.
  4. Sec. 10520 (General Laws Accepted by the Town), c. 64G §3A, Code of General Bylaws (revisions voted at ATM April 13, 2026; AG approved July 9, 2026), p. 26
    64G 3A Room Occupancy Excise Tax (Sections 51 & 52 of Ch. 27 Acts of 2019 2009) Amended rate Amended rate 6% 2026
  5. Sec. 10520 (General Laws Accepted by the Town), c. 64G §3D, Code of General Bylaws (revisions voted at ATM April 13, 2026; AG approved July 9, 2026), p. 26
    64G 3D (b) Community impact fee of 3% applying to transfers of occupancy for short-term rental units located in a two- or three- family dwelling that 2026 includes the operator's primary residence
  6. Sec. 430.2(A)(4), Zoning Bylaw (including changes approved by April 13, 2026 Annual Town Meeting; AG approved July 9, 2026), p. 27
    a. The operation of a lodging house or boarding house (but not a hotel, motel, inn or bed and breakfast establishment) for not more than three persons, regardless of the number of rooms. b. The operation of a bed and breakfast establishment (but not a hotel, motel or inn) of not more than two guest bedrooms.
  7. Sec. 30350(A) (Housing By-law), Code of General Bylaws (revisions voted at ATM April 13, 2026; AG approved July 9, 2026), p. 49
    A. No person shall let to another for occupancy any dwelling, dwelling unit, mobile dwelling unit, or rooming unit for the purpose of living, sleeping, cooking or eating therein, which does not comply with the requirements of 105-CMR-410.000 unless such unit is inspected by the officials as specified below in paragraph E and a Certificate of Fitness is issued to the owner of such premises, stating that the premises meets the standards set forth in State Sanitary Code, Chapter II, "Minimum Standards of Fitness for Human Habitation," adopted by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 111, §127A as amended, and any by-law, rule, or regulation adopted by the Town of Scituate which has as its purpose the regulation of
  8. Sec. 30350(K) (Housing By-law), Code of General Bylaws (revisions voted at ATM April 13, 2026; AG approved July 9, 2026), p. 50
    K. A Certificate of Fitness shall be valid, and no reinspection shall be required for a period of one year from the date of issue regardless of changes in tenancy in the interim.
  9. Sec. 10520 (General Laws Accepted by the Town), c. 64G §3D(a), Code of General Bylaws (revisions voted at ATM April 13, 2026; AG approved July 9, 2026), p. 26
    64G 3D (a) Community impact fee of 3% applying to transfers of occupancy for "Professionally-managed units"
This page summarizes Scituate'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 Building/Inspections Department (Building Commissioner & Zoning Enforcement Officer), 600 Chief Justice Cushing Highway (781-545-8716) before you build. Spot an error?