Does Portland require short-term rental registration?

Yes. Rentals offered for fewer than 30 days must be registered annually with Portland before advertising. Display the issued license inside the rental unit. Include the City registration number in every online advertisement. Renew on time and keep ownership, agent, and property information current.

How is Portland’s 2026 non-owner-occupied cap calculated?

Portland limits mainland non-owner-occupied registrations to 1.5% of the prior year’s registered long-term rentals, with the annual limit set each September 1. Complete applications are allocated on a first-come, first-registered basis. A waitlist forms after the annual limit is reached. Confirm the currently published allocation with Licensing and Registration before underwriting availability.

Does Portland require owner occupancy?

Owner occupancy is required for an owner-occupied classification and for short-term rental use in a mainland single-family home. A non-primary-residence unit in an owner-occupied multi-unit building counts as non-owner-occupied. Other mainland building types remain subject to building limits and registration availability. Private condominium, lease, lender, and insurance restrictions may be stricter than City registration rules.

How does Portland define a primary residence?

Portland defines a primary residence as the dwelling where a person legally resides for more than half the year and uses the address for tax and government identification purposes. Owner-occupied applicants must document the primary-residence claim. The City application identifies accepted affidavit and supporting-document requirements. A false registration statement can trigger enforcement and a $1,000 penalty.

Can a Portland ADU operate as a short-term rental?

A mainland accessory dwelling unit is treated as non-owner-occupied for Portland registration purposes. A qualifying ADU completed and issued a certificate of occupancy within five years before registration is excluded from the 1.5% cap. The exclusion does not remove annual registration or other City requirements. Submit the certificate of occupancy with the application.

How many STR units can a Portland owner register?

An individual or entity may register up to five short-term rental units citywide. Ownership interests held through an entity count toward the same limit. Separate building-level limits may allow fewer units at a particular property. Owner-occupied spaces within one primary residence remain subject to the ordinance’s specific rules.

What are Portland’s 2026 STR registration fees?

The first mainland owner-occupied unit costs $100, while the first mainland non-owner-occupied or ADU unit costs $200. Fees increase cumulatively for additional units through the five-unit maximum. The fifth owner-occupied unit costs $2,000 and the fifth non-owner-occupied mainland unit costs $4,000. Confirm the current application, payment charge, and any documented safety discount before filing.

When is a Portland STR renewal due?

A renewal must be complete before January 1 of the registration year, so Portland directs registrants to renew by December 31. Missing the deadline forfeits the right to renew. A later application is treated as a new registration. A capped unit may lose its prior position when renewal rights are forfeited.

What tax applies to Portland short-term rentals?

Maine taxes rentals of living quarters at 9% in 2026. Mandatory cleaning, pet, resort, and similar occupancy charges generally enter the taxable sale price. Operators generally must register with Maine Revenue Services unless a specific exception applies. Transient rental platforms and other intermediaries may have collection duties for bookings they process.

Who handles Portland STR questions and complaints?

Portland Licensing and Housing Safety handles registration, renewal, inspection, and compliance questions. Call 207-756-8131 or email housingsafety@portlandmaine.gov. Provide the property address, registration details, and relevant listing evidence. Use Maine Revenue Services for state lodging-tax registration and filing questions.

Portland, ME Airbnb Guide

Decision point

Portland Airbnb Investment Decision

A Portland short-term rental must fit the City’s registration classification, building limits, and available unit allocation before bookings begin.

Confirm the address is inside the City of Portland and whether it is mainland, Peaks Island, or an outer island property.
Classify the unit as owner-occupied, non-owner-occupied, an accessory dwelling unit, a grandfathered tenant-occupied unit, or an island rental.
Verify the building-level allowance and whether a capped non-owner-occupied registration is available.
Model the 9% Maine lodging tax, annual City fees, insurance, fire protection, maintenance, platform charges, and seasonal cash flow.

The City of Portland remains the authority for legal eligibility and registration approval. A platform listing or prior rental history does not establish current permission.

Eligibility and classifications

Portland STR Property Eligibility

Portland regulates rentals shorter than 30 days through distinct property and occupancy classifications.

An owner-occupied unit must be the owner’s primary residence for more than half the year and the address used for tax and government identification.
A separate unit in an owner-occupied multi-unit building is non-owner-occupied when the owner does not use that unit as the owner’s primary residence.
Mainland accessory dwelling units count as non-owner-occupied, although qualifying newly completed ADUs may register outside the 1.5% cap for up to five years from the certificate of occupancy.
No new tenant-occupied STR registrations have been accepted since September 1, 2025. Existing registrants may continue only through timely annual renewal.

Condominium and homeowners association applicants must provide governing documents and an authorized attestation that short-term rental use is allowed.

Caps and building limits

Portland STR Caps and Unit Limits

The 2026 mainland non-owner-occupied cap is 1.5% of the prior year’s registered long-term rentals, with allocations made on a first-complete-registration basis.

Owner-occupied mainland registrations have no citywide numerical cap, but all building and per-registrant limits still apply.
An owner or entity may register no more than five STR units citywide.
Mainland building allowances are one STR in a 2-unit building, one in a 3-unit building, two in a 4- or 5-unit building, three in a 6- to 9-unit building, and five in a building with 10 or more units.
Only an owner-occupied, permitted tenant-occupied, Peaks Island, or outer-island STR may operate in a single-family home.

The 2026 Peaks Island non-owner-occupied cap is 40 units. Separate island classifications and building limits apply.

Application and renewal

Portland STR Registration Process

Every STR needs annual City registration before advertising, and renewals are due by December 31 for the following year.

Submit a separate application for each address or classification to Licensing and Registration, Room 307 at City Hall.
Owner-occupied applicants must submit the original notarized Primary Residence Affidavit, identification, and homestead-exemption proof or a redacted recent tax return.
ADU applicants must include the certificate of occupancy. Business entities must complete the corporate disclosure and remain in good standing.
The application is not complete until required documents and payment are received.

Missing the renewal deadline forfeits the right to renew. A later non-owner-occupied application is treated as new and placed on the waitlist when the cap is full.

Guest and building controls

Portland STR Operating Requirements

Portland limits overnight occupancy to two guests per bedroom plus no more than two additional guests per registered unit.

Display the issued license inside the unit and place the registration number in every online advertisement.
Provide an authorized agent for service. A business entity’s agent must be an individual who resides in Maine.
Respond to City registration, rental-history, or reservation inquiries within 48 hours.
Maintain truthful registration information and arrange required rental inspections with Housing Safety.

The 2026 application offers limited per-unit fee discounts for documented sprinkler systems, monitored fire alarms, and no-smoking lease terms. Those discounts do not replace applicable building or fire requirements.

Fees and renewal costs

Portland STR Registration Fees

The first 2026 mainland owner-occupied unit costs $100, while the first mainland non-owner-occupied or ADU unit costs $200.

Owner-occupied unit fees rise cumulatively to $250, $500, $1,000, and $2,000 for the second through fifth units.
Non-owner-occupied mainland and ADU fees rise cumulatively to $500, $1,000, $2,000, and $4,000 for the second through fifth units.
Eligible safety and no-smoking documentation can reduce the fee by no more than $20 per unit.
Online payments carry the application’s stated 2.65% credit-card fee or $1 e-check fee.

Fees accumulate by counting owner-occupied, tenant-occupied, and island units first, followed by higher-rate non-owner-occupied mainland units.

State lodging tax

Portland Short-Term Rental Taxes

Maine taxes rentals of living quarters at 9% in 2026, including taxable charges required as a condition of occupancy.

Maine Revenue Services generally requires a lodging operator to register as a retailer and file through the Maine Tax Portal.
Cleaning, pet, resort, and other mandatory occupancy charges generally enter the taxable sale price.
A person with one unit rented fewer than 15 days in a calendar year may qualify for the casual-rental exception, although an intermediary can still have collection duties.
Platform collection does not remove the operator’s responsibility to confirm registration, records, and filing obligations.

Confirm the account and filing treatment with Maine Revenue Services for the exact booking and management arrangement.

Underwriting and enforcement

Portland Property-Level Underwriting

Purchase analysis should test the exact unit against registration availability, building limits, private restrictions, and conservative seasonal cash flow.

Verify current registration status in the City’s Citizen Self Service portal before relying on a seller’s operating history.
Separate owner-occupied economics from capped non-owner-occupied or time-limited ADU economics.
Stress-test revenue without unsupported marketwide ADR, occupancy, ROI, appreciation, or payback assumptions.
Reserve for lodging tax, annual registration, utilities, insurance, maintenance, cleaning, platform fees, and code work.

Operating an unregistered unit, omitting the registration number, or failing to respond to the City can trigger enforcement. False registration information carries a $1,000 penalty.

Contacts and support

Portland STR Contacts and Support

Route registration, inspection, tax, complaint, and investment questions to the office responsible for each decision.

Registration, renewals, eligibility, and inspections: Portland Licensing and Housing Safety, Room 307, 389 Congress Street. Call 207-756-8131 or email housingsafety@portlandmaine.gov.
Applications and license lookup: use the City short-term rental registration service and Citizen Self Service portal linked there.
State lodging tax: register and file through the Maine Tax Portal. Maine Revenue Services sales-tax assistance is available at 207-624-9693 or sales.tax@maine.gov.
Complaints and enforcement: send property details to Housing Safety by phone or email. Immediate hazards should go to emergency services.
Appeals or variances: ask Housing Safety whether the decision is administrative, code-enforcement, or zoning-related and request the correct appeal instructions before filing.
Property selection and setup: plan a Portland property strategy call for address screening, operating assumptions, and setup planning. Portland remains the authority for legal eligibility and registration approval.

Sources and review

Portland Official STR Sources

Official City and State sources were checked September 28, 2026.

Portland Short-Term Rental Registration: classifications, 2026 caps, building limits, deadlines, contacts, and license lookup.
Portland City Code Chapter 6 amendment: definitions, registration, caps, fees, limits, renewals, and violations effective September 1, 2025.
2026 mainland STR application: required documents, fee schedule, payment, affidavit, and filing address.
Maine Revenue Services tax rates: 9% rental-of-lodging rate for 2026.
Maine lodging tax bulletin: registration, taxable charges, intermediaries, and the limited casual-rental exception.

Rules, caps, forms, and fees can change. Reconfirm the property classification and filing instructions with Portland before acquisition or advertising.

Portland Airbnb Rules & Investment Guide (2026)

Portland Short-Term Rental Review