Gloucester, Mass., Code of Ordinances ch. 5, art. V (2026) § 5-66

(a) Registration. Registration and permit as required by G.L. c. 64G and in accordance with GCO 5-66 the inspector of buildings shall issue short-term rental permits.
(1) After the effective date of this article, new and existing department of revenue registered operators of short-term rental units shall file an application with the inspectional services department for a local permit as required by this article.
(2) Existing short-term rental unit operators that qualify under sections 5-66 (e), 5-66 (f) and 5-66 (g) shall have 180 days from the effective date of this Article to register for a short-term rental permit. Failure to do so shall result in loss of the exemption privilege as outlined in section 5-66 (i).
(3) All permits shall be renewed on an annual basis and shall be valid from January 1 to December 31. Renewal applications must be filed by December 1st of each year.
(b) Fees.
(1) The annual permit fee for shared residential unit shall be $100.00.
(2) The annual permit fee for primary residential unit shall be $150.00.
(3) The annual permit fee for non-primary residential unit shall be $300.00.
(c) One party of renters. A residential unit offered as a short-term rental shall be rented to only one party of short-term renters at a time, not rented as separate bedrooms, beds, or spaces to separate parties.
(d) Number of occupants. A residential unit offered as a short-term rental shall be limited to two guests per guest bedroom, plus an additional two total except units on septic systems which have deeded occupancy limits shall not exceed two persons per bedroom.
(e) An operator may only register to operate one non-primary residential unit as a short-term rental. If an operator owns two or more non-primary residential units, owns one and is listed as a manager or agent for a second that is owned by an LLC, for example, that operator must choose one or the other to be registered as a non-primary residential unit. No operator shall have more than one legal or equitable title or beneficial interest in any dwelling unit used for a short-term rental except as provided for above. An operator may hire a property management company to list and manage short-term rentals, but the registration must be in the operator's name.
(f) Short-term rental of a shared residential unit. An operator may offer bedrooms within their primary residential unit as a short-term rental 365 days per year. One bedroom in the unit shall be reserved for, and occupied by, the operator during the entire term of the rental.
(g) Short-term rental of primary residential unit. An operator may offer a residential unit as a short-term rental for six months provided the operator resides permanently in the residential unit for at least six months out of a 12-month period.
(h) Short-term rental of a non-primary residential unit. Short-term rentals shall not exceed in the aggregate 120 consecutive or nonconsecutive calendar days per year, when the operator is not occupying the residential unit during the entire term of the short-term rental.
(i) Rental period and use. Renting for an hourly rate, or for rental durations of fewer than ten consecutive hours shall not be permitted. Commercial and private functions, or weddings are prohibited in short-term rentals as defined in section 5-64 .
(j) Existing unit. Existing primary residences and non-primary residential units that hold a valid, up-to-date Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) Certificate of Registration as of the 4-1-2025 effective date of this article, shall be subject to all sections contained herein, except shall not be subject to section 5-66 (e), 5-66 (g) and 5-66 (h).
(k) Non-transferability. Short-term rental registrations shall be granted solely to an owner and shall not be transferable or assigned to any other person, legal entity, or address. The registration does not run with the property; it shall be terminated upon sale or transfer of the property for which the registration has been issued.
(l) No outstanding violations. The residential unit offered as a short-term rental shall not have any outstanding building, sanitary, zoning, or fire code violations, orders of abatement, or stop work orders, or other requirements, laws, or regulations that prohibit the operator from offering the residential unit as a short-term rental. If a violation or other order is issued, upon notice of said violation or order short-term rental use shall be terminated until the violation has been cured or otherwise resolved.
(m) Three or more violations in a six-month period. Should a property receive three or more violations within a six-month period under this section, or of any municipal ordinance, state law, or building code, any residential unit within the property shall be ineligible to be used as a short-term rental for a period of six months from the third or subsequent violation.
(n) Compliance and interaction with other laws. Operators shall comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and codes, including but not limited to the Fair Housing Act, M.G.L. c. 151B and local equivalents and regulations related thereto, and all other regulations applicable to residential dwellings.
(o) Retention of records. The operator shall retain and make available to inspectional services department, upon written request, records to demonstrate compliance with this section, including but not limited to: records demonstrating the number of months that the operator has resided or will reside in residential unit, if applicable; and records demonstrating the number of guests and the number of days per year that the residential unit is offered as a short-term rental. The operator shall retain such records for three years.
(p) Insurance. An operator shall maintain such as required by G.L. c. 175, § 4F.
(q) Posted notifications. The operator shall, at a minimum, make available at the short-term rental the following information:
(1) Instructions and schedules for the trash disposal. Trash/recycling receptacles shall not be put out for collection before 4:00 p.m. the day preceding the day of collection and shall be removed from the curbside on the same day of collection.
(2) Information regarding the parking regulations, including but not limited to resident-only parking restrictions, street sweeping, and snow emergencies.
(3) City of Gloucester noise ordinance.
(4) Animal control ordinance.
(5) Location of any gas shut off valves, fire exit, fire alarms and fire extinguishers.
(r) Contact information. The name and contact information of the operator must be provided, along with the name and contact information of an operator's agent, if different from the operator, who is able to respond to any issues or emergencies regarding the condition or operation of the short-term rental that arise during occupancy. Contact information must include a telephone number that is available 24 hours per day, seven days a week to short-term rental occupants. This contact information shall be the same as on the application for a short-term rental registration and shall be posted conspicuously within the rental unit.
(s) The operator shall certify that the short-term rental complies with the following:
(1) State and local health, sanitary, fire and building codes.
(2) Functioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
(t) The number of non-primary residential short term rental units that may be permitted shall be capped at 500.