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

Westford, Middlesex County · Bylaws checked 2026-10-19 · Reviewed · 11 cited sections

Restricted

Restricted. Westford's zoning bylaw allows short-term rentals (27 days or less) by right only in the 276 Summer Village cottages on Long Sought For Pond, and by special permit only as an accessory use to a commercial recreation business in the Commercial Recreation Overlay. Elsewhere, our reading is that STRs are not allowed, because the bylaw prohibits any use it doesn't expressly permit; an owner-occupant may, however, rent rooms to up to five people.

What counts as a short-term rentalRental of a dwelling unit or part of one for 27 consecutive days or less (not hotels/motels) [1]
Where STRs are allowed by rightOnly the Summer Village Short-Term Rental Overlay District (Summer Village Condominium cottages 1-276) [3]
Commercial Recreation OverlayShort-term rental may be allowed by Planning Board special permit as an accessory use to a commercial recreation business [5]
Everywhere else (our reading)Not allowed: unlisted uses are prohibited; there is no express STR ban [4]
Renting rooms to boardersOwner-occupant may rent rooms to up to 5 persons as an accessory use; 6 or more is a boarding house [6]
B&B / lodging house licenseAnnual Board of Health license, expires December 31 [8]
License fines$100 first offense up to $300; each day is a separate offense [10]

What the zoning bylaw says

Westford's zoning bylaw defines a short-term rental as renting a dwelling unit, or part of one, for no more than 27 consecutive days; it can be owner-occupied, tenant-occupied, non-owner-occupied or professionally managed [1]. STRs are allowed in two places:

  • Summer Village overlay (by right). The October 2025 amendments created a Summer Village Short-Term Rental Overlay District that allows STRs by right in the Summer Village Condominiums, a 276-unit seasonal cottage community on Long Sought For Pond [2]. The overlay is limited to those cottages [3], and the use table notes the same [11].
  • Commercial Recreation Overlay (special permit). On the listed commercial recreation parcels, the Planning Board may allow a short-term rental by special permit as an accessory use to a commercial recreation business [5]. This does not cover ordinary homes.

Everywhere else

Short-term rentals are not a listed use in the residential districts, and the bylaw says any use "not herein expressly permitted is hereby prohibited" [4]. Our reading is that whole-home or room STRs are therefore not allowed outside these two overlays. The bylaw has no express STR ban, and we found no town STR registration program.

Renting rooms to boarders

An owner who lives in a single-family house may rent rooms or provide board to up to five people as a permitted accessory use; six or more makes it a boarding house under the use table [6]. The bylaw doesn't say whether this covers nightly guest bookings, so ask the Building Commissioner before relying on it for short stays.

Bed and breakfasts

The zoning bylaw does not list bed and breakfasts as a use. The Board of Health's Transient Lodging Regulations, adopted January 12, 2026 and effective July 1, 2026, cover bed and breakfasts, inns, hotels, lodging houses and motels [7]. A bed and breakfast home is an owner-occupied house where no more than 3 rooms are let with breakfast included and all stays reserved in advance [8]. Covered operators need an annual license that expires December 31 [9]; a first license requires a public hearing, a floor plan, and Fire and Building Department sign-off that the place complies with zoning. Operators keep a guest register or hosting-platform record, and the Board inspects yearly. Fines run $100 to $300 per offense [10]. Because zoning doesn't list B&Bs, confirm zoning status with the Building Commissioner first.

State registration and room-occupancy tax rules also apply (see the state section).

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

Next steps

  1. Ask the Building Commissioner and Zoning Enforcement Officer (978-692-5527) whether your planned rental is allowed at your address before listing it.
  2. If you are in the Summer Village overlay, confirm any condominium rules and register with the Mass. Department of Revenue.
  3. If you plan a bed and breakfast or lodging house, apply to the Board of Health (978-692-5509) for a Transient Lodging license, with a floor plan and Fire and Building Department certification.

Common questions

Are short-term rentals allowed in Westford, Massachusetts?
It depends where you are. Westford's zoning bylaw allows short-term rentals (27 days or less) by right only in the 276 Summer Village cottages on Long Sought For Pond, and by special permit as an accessory use to a commercial recreation business in the Commercial Recreation Overlay. Elsewhere, our reading is that they aren't allowed because the bylaw prohibits uses it doesn't expressly permit (there is no express ban).
Can I Airbnb my house in Westford, MA?
Probably not, unless it's a Summer Village cottage. Westford's zoning allows short-term rentals by right only in the Summer Village overlay; elsewhere, our reading is that they aren't allowed because unlisted uses are prohibited. Ask the Building Commissioner whether your planned rental is allowed at your address before listing it.
Can I rent rooms in my house in Westford, Massachusetts?
Yes, to boarders. An owner who lives in a single-family house may rent rooms or provide board to up to five people as a permitted accessory use; six or more makes it a boarding house. The bylaw doesn't say whether this covers nightly guest bookings, so ask the Building Commissioner before relying on it for short stays.
Does Westford, MA require a license for a bed and breakfast?
Yes. Board of Health Transient Lodging Regulations, effective July 1, 2026, require an annual license, expiring December 31, for bed and breakfasts, inns, hotels, lodging houses and motels. A first license needs a public hearing, a floor plan, and Fire and Building Department sign-off. Zoning doesn't list B&Bs as a use, so confirm zoning status with the Building Commissioner first.
What counts as a short-term rental in Westford, Massachusetts?
Westford's zoning bylaw defines a short-term rental as renting a dwelling unit, or part of one, for no more than 27 consecutive days, excluding hotels and motels. It can be owner-occupied, tenant-occupied, non-owner-occupied or professionally managed.

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

  1. Sec. 10.2, definition of Short-Term Rental, 2025 Zoning Bylaw (amended through Special Town Meeting October 27, 2025; certified copy), p. 199
    Short-Term Rental: Rental of any dwelling unit, or a portion thereof, to be occupied for no more than 27 consecutive calendar days, excluding hotels and motels; short-term rentals may be owner-occupied, tenant-occupied, non-owner occupied, or professionally managed properties.
  2. Sec. 8.8.1 Purpose, 2025 Zoning Bylaw (amended through Special Town Meeting October 27, 2025; certified copy), p. 126
    The purpose of this Section is to allow Short-Term Rentals by right within the Summer Village Condominiums, a 276-unit seasonal cottage community located at the northerly side of Long Sought For Pond.
  3. Sec. 8.8.3 Location, 2025 Zoning Bylaw (amended through Special Town Meeting October 27, 2025; certified copy), p. 126
    The SVSROD shall consist exclusively of the cottage properties currently identified by the Town of Westford Assessing Department as Map 044, Parcel 0040, Cottage Units 0001 through 0276.
  4. Sec. 3.1.1 General, 2025 Zoning Bylaw (amended through Special Town Meeting October 27, 2025; certified copy), p. 18
    Any building or use of premises not herein expressly permitted is hereby prohibited.
  5. Sec. 8.9.4 Use Regulations (Commercial Recreation Overlay), 2025 Zoning Bylaw (amended through Special Town Meeting October 27, 2025; certified copy), p. 127
    The Special Permit Granting Authority (SPGA) may authorize additional accessory uses to Indoor and Outdoor Commercial Recreation and/or Winter Commercial Recreation Uses by special permit, including but not limited to Restaurant; Greenhouse, Nursery or Farmstand; Lodging House/Boarding; Retail sales to the general public; Hotel; Short-term rental, Accessory parking structure/Private parking garage, Business or professional office; Place of amusements or assembly; and General service establishment, and any and all additional accessory uses that in the discretion of the SPGA support the principal recreational uses on the property.
  6. Sec. 3.2.1.3 Boarders in Single-Family Dwelling, 2025 Zoning Bylaw (amended through Special Town Meeting October 27, 2025; certified copy), p. 19
    The renting of rooms and/or furnishing of board to not more than five persons in a single-family dwelling by the owner/occupant thereof shall be a permitted accessory use. The renting of rooms and/or furnishing of board to six or more persons in a single-family dwelling by the owner/occupant thereof shall be deemed a boarding house subject to the provisions of the Table of Principal Use Regulations, Appendix A.
  7. Purpose and Intent, Board of Health - Transient Lodging Regulations (Hotel, Motel, Bed and Breakfast, Rooming, Inn, and Lodging) (adopted Jan 12, 2026; effective July 1, 2026), p. 1
    Under the authority of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 111, Section 31 and Chapter 140, Section 32B, the Westford Board of Health hereby establishes the following regulations for the operation of Transient Lodgings, i.e. bed and breakfasts, inns, hotels, lodging houses, or motels within the Town of Westford.
  8. Definitions, Bed and breakfast home, Board of Health - Transient Lodging Regulations (Hotel, Motel, Bed and Breakfast, Rooming, Inn, and Lodging) (adopted Jan 12, 2026; effective July 1, 2026), p. 1
    Bed and breakfast home, a private owner-occupied house where not more than 3 rooms are let, a breakfast is included in the rent and all accommodations are reserved in advance [see, G.L. c. 64G, §1].
  9. Sec. 1.1-1.2 License, Board of Health - Transient Lodging Regulations (Hotel, Motel, Bed and Breakfast, Rooming, Inn, and Lodging) (adopted Jan 12, 2026; effective July 1, 2026), p. 1
    1.1 No person shall operate a Transient Lodging in the Town of Westford without a valid license issued by the Board of Health. 1.2 Licenses shall expire on December 31 of each year, unless sooner revoked, and shall be non-transferable.
  10. Sec. 14.2-14.3 Enforcement, Board of Health - Transient Lodging Regulations (Hotel, Motel, Bed and Breakfast, Rooming, Inn, and Lodging) (adopted Jan 12, 2026; effective July 1, 2026), p. 1
    First offense: $100 Second offense: $200 Third offense: $300 Fourth and subsequent offenses: $300 14.3 Each day upon which a violation exists shall constitute a separate offense.
  11. Appendix A, Table of Principal Use Regulations (note), 2025 Zoning Bylaw (amended through Special Town Meeting October 27, 2025; certified copy), p. 216
    Short-Term Rentals are permitted by right within the Summer Village Short-Term Rental Overlay District (See Section 8.8)
This page summarizes Westford's posted bylaws as of 2026-10-19. Bylaws are amended, and individual lots can have overlays, subdivision covenants, or HOA rules that are stricter. Confirm with Building Department (Building Commissioner & Zoning Enforcement Officer Erik Tardif), Town Hall, 55 Main Street, Westford MA 01886 (978-692-5527) before you build. Spot an error?