Short-term rental (Airbnb) rules in Weston, Massachusetts
Weston has no short-term rental license or registration in the bylaws we reviewed. Its Zoning By-law prohibits any use it doesn't expressly allow, and short-term rental of a whole house isn't listed, so it's unclear whether renting out your home short-term is allowed. An accessory dwelling unit can never be used as a short-term rental. Ask Inspectional Services before listing your home.
| Local STR license/registration | None found in the bylaws we reviewed [1] |
| Unlisted uses | Prohibited (zoning allows only uses expressly listed) [1] |
| ADUs | May not be used as short-term rentals (M.G.L. c. 64G, s.1 definition) [2] |
| Renting rooms | Allowed by right to up to 4 non-family persons in a single-family home [3] |
| Second ADU | Special permit, and also no short-term rental use [4] |
No local licensing program
We found no short-term rental bylaw, registration or fee in Weston's General By-laws (compiled through September 2022) or its Zoning By-law (through the 2025 Special Town Meeting). That compilation of General By-laws may not include later amendments.
What zoning says
Weston's zoning is "permissive": a building, structure or use "not expressly allowed by this Zoning By-law is prohibited" [1]. The Single Family Residence District use list doesn't mention short-term or transient rental of a whole house. It's unclear whether occasionally renting your own home on Airbnb or VRBO counts as a separate use or just as residential use, so get the town's view before you list.
What the by-law does allow by right is "the renting of rooms or the furnishing of table board to not more than four persons not members of the family residing on the premises" [3]. That covers having lodgers in a home where your family lives, up to four people.
ADUs are off-limits
Accessory dwelling units are allowed by right only if they "are not used for short term rentals as defined by MGL Chapter 64G Section 1" [2]. The same condition applies to a second ADU, which needs a special permit [4]. State law lets towns restrict or ban short-term rentals of ADUs, so this rule stands.
State requirements still apply
If you do rent for 31 days or less, the state requires registration with the Department of Revenue and collection of room occupancy taxes (see the state rules section).
See how Weston compares with 8+ other Massachusetts towns on short-term rentals (airbnb / vrbo) →
Next steps
- Ask Inspectional Services (781-786-5040) whether short-term rental of your home is allowed under the Zoning By-law before listing it.
- Don't list an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) as a short-term rental; zoning bars it.
- If you go ahead, register with the Massachusetts DOR through MassTaxConnect and carry the required liability insurance.
- Keep paying guests in an owner-occupied home to no more than four people who aren't family members.
Common questions
- Is Airbnb allowed in Weston, Massachusetts?
- It's unclear. There is no short-term rental license in the bylaws reviewed, but zoning prohibits any use it doesn't expressly allow, and short-term rental of a whole house isn't listed. Ask Inspectional Services before listing your home.
- Can I rent my ADU short term in Weston, Massachusetts?
- No. An accessory dwelling unit can never be used as a short-term rental, and a second ADU also can't be.
- Do I need a license to rent short term in Weston, Massachusetts?
- No short-term rental license or registration was found in the bylaws reviewed.
- Can I rent rooms in my house in Weston, Massachusetts?
- Yes. Renting rooms to up to 4 non-family persons in a single-family home is allowed by right.
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
- Sec. V.A.1 Use Regulations, General, Zoning By-law (Article VIII of the By-laws), through 2025 Special Town Meeting, p. 18
1. Except as may be permitted with respect to lawfully nonconforming uses, buildings and structures regulated under the provisions of Section III of this Zoning By-law, no building, structure or land may be used, and no building or structure maybe erected or altered for any use, not expressly allowed in the district in which the building, structure or land is located. A building, structure or use not expressly allowed by this Zoning By-law is prohibited.
- Sec. V.B.1.b Single Family Residence Districts, By-Right Uses, Zoning By-law (Article VIII of the By-laws), through 2025 Special Town Meeting, p. 19
b. Accessory Dwelling Units which are not used for short term rentals as defined by MGL Chapter 64G Section 1 and subject to limitations of Section VI.H
- Sec. V.B.1.e Single Family Residence Districts, By-Right Uses, Zoning By-law (Article VIII of the By-laws), through 2025 Special Town Meeting, p. 19
e. The renting of rooms or the furnishing of table board to not more than four persons not members of the family residing on the premises;
- Sec. V.B.4.b Uses Allowed by Special Permit, Zoning By-law (Article VIII of the By-laws), through 2025 Special Town Meeting, p. 22
b. More than one Accessory Dwelling Unit which are not used for short term rentals as defined by MGL Chapter 64G Section 1.