Short-term rental (Airbnb) rules in Wellesley, Massachusetts
Wellesley's bylaws we reviewed have no short-term rental license, registration or rules for renting out a whole house on Airbnb or VRBO. The one direct rule: an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) can't be rented for less than 30 days or leased more than once in any 30-day period.
| Local STR registration or license | None found in the Town Bylaws or Zoning Bylaw [1] |
| ADU minimum rental term | 30 days (or any longer STR period set in the Town Bylaws) [1] |
| ADU lease frequency | No more than once in any 30-day period [1] |
| Boarding or lodging house in Single Residence District | Special permit only, in a building that existed when the bylaw took effect, with a ZBA hardship finding [2] |
No general short-term rental bylaw
This is based on the Town Bylaws as amended through ATM 2026 and the Zoning Bylaw as amended through the 2025 Annual Town Meeting; later changes aren't reflected.
We found no Wellesley bylaw that requires short-term rental hosts to register, get a local license, pay a local fee, or meet occupancy, parking or stay-length rules for renting out a single-family home. The Town Bylaws (as amended through ATM 2026) and the Zoning Bylaw (as amended through 2025 ATM) don't use the term "short-term rental" for whole-house or room rentals. That doesn't mean there are no rules: state registration and taxes apply (see the state rules on this page), and the town could treat a commercial-style operation as a use not allowed in a residential district.
ADUs can't be short-term rentals
The Zoning Bylaw's ADU section sets the minimum lease for an ADU at the greater of 30 days or any short-term-rental period the Town Bylaws may later set, and an ADU can't be leased more than once in any 30-day period [1]. In practice that rules out nightly or weekly Airbnb stays in an ADU. Massachusetts law lets towns restrict short-term rentals of ADUs, so this rule is consistent with state law.
Boarding and lodging houses
In Single Residence Districts, a boarding or lodging house is allowed only by special permit, only in a building that existed when the bylaw took effect, and only if the Board of Appeals finds the building can no longer be used at reasonable expense for a use regularly permitted in the district [2]. A typical Airbnb host renting a room is unlikely to be treated as a lodging house, but the bylaw doesn't say where that line falls.
Before you list
Because the bylaws are silent, ask the Building Department (zoning enforcement) how it treats short-term rentals before listing, and check whether any 2026 Town Meeting action has added rules.
See how Wellesley compares with 8+ other Massachusetts towns on short-term rentals (airbnb / vrbo) →
Next steps
- Register the property with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (MassTaxConnect) and collect required room occupancy taxes.
- Call the Wellesley Building Department (781-431-1019) to ask whether any local rules or zoning interpretations apply to your rental.
- If you plan to rent an ADU, use leases of at least 30 days and no more than one new lease per 30-day period.
- Confirm you carry at least $1 million in liability coverage per unit, or that your booking platform provides it.
Common questions
- Is Airbnb allowed in Wellesley, Massachusetts?
- The bylaws reviewed have no short-term rental license, registration or rules for renting out a whole house on Airbnb or VRBO.
- Can I rent my ADU short term in Wellesley, Massachusetts?
- No. An ADU can't be rented for less than 30 days or leased more than once in any 30-day period.
- Do I need a license to rent short term in Wellesley, Massachusetts?
- None was found in the Town Bylaws or Zoning Bylaw.
- Can I run a boarding house in Wellesley, Massachusetts?
- In a Single Residence District only by special permit, in a building that existed when the bylaw took effect, with a ZBA hardship finding.
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
- Zoning Bylaw Sec. 5.13.D.ii, Zoning Bylaw (as amended through 2025 Annual Town Meeting), p. 188
ii. The minimum leasing term for the ADU shall be the greater of 30 days or such other period governing short term rentals which may be set forth from time to time in the Town Bylaws. The Accessory Dwelling Unit may not be leased more than once in any 30-day period.
- Zoning Bylaw Sec. 2.1.A.8.a, Zoning Bylaw (as amended through 2025 Annual Town Meeting), p. 30
a. Residence for not more than two families, or boarding or lodging house, but not a restaurant; provided, however, that the building so used was in existence when this Bylaw took effect; and provided further that the Board of Appeals make a written finding that the original building can no longer be used or adapted at a reasonable expense and with a fair financial return for a use regularly permitted in the district.