Truro, Mass., Gen. Bylaws ch. 2 § 1 (eff. June 2, 2025) § 2-1-3
Prohibitions
Operative Text
2-1-3-1 Registration Requirement. No dwelling unit or part thereof may be
offered as a Short-Term Rental within the Town of Truro unless it is
registered with the Select Board and in compliance with regulations issued by
the Board of Health and is registered with the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts Department of Revenue in accordance with applicable laws.
2-1-3-2 Limitation on Number of Short-Term Rentals.
An Owner may register to operate only two dwelling units as Short-Term
Rentals. If a person owns or is listed as a manager and/or is an agent for three
or more dwelling units, that person must choose only two units to be
registered as Short-Term Rentals. No person shall have more than two legal or
equitable title or beneficial interest in dwelling units used for Short-Term
Rentals except as provided for above. An Owner may hire a property
management company to list and manage Short-Term Rentals, but the
registration must be in the Owner’s name. (May/2024, [eff
6/2/2025])
2-1-3-3 Corporate Ownership. Short-Term Rentals are prohibited in dwelling
units owned by a Corporation. Short-Term Rentals are permitted in dwelling
units owned by an LLC, Trust, or S Corporation only when every shareholder,
partner, or member of the legal entity is a natural person, as established by
documentation provided by the applicant at the time of registration.
2-1-3-4 Affordable Housing Dwelling Units. Short-Term Rentals are
prohibited in dwelling units designated as affordable or otherwise income-
restricted, which are subject to an affordability restriction or are otherwise
subject to housing or rental assistance under local, state, or federal programs
or law.
2-1-3-5 Time Share, Fractional and Interval Ownership Units. No Fractional
Ownership, Interval or Time Share unit may engage in Short-Term Rental
activities or be eligible to receive a Certificate of registration for such unit;
except that this section shall not apply to the creation of mortgages, liens,
easements or other similar interests encumbering the residential property as a
whole to secure a loan or for any other legitimate purposes; and this section
shall not apply to non-commercial groups, such as families, partnerships,
associations, or trusts with divided interests or agreements in which the real
estate is held and transferred within the family, partnership, association or
trust, as opposed to sold in fractional or divided interests on the open market.
2-1-3-6 Protection for Existing Short-Term Rentals. Any person or other legal
entity who holds a current Certificate of Registration on the effective date of
this bylaw may continue to engage in Short-Term Rentals in accordance with
the existing Certificate of Registration, until the dwelling unit is transferred
or conveyed, or the certificate of registration is not renewed. If a property is
bequeathed to a person or other beneficiary through a will, the new owner
may continue to engage in Short-Term Rental activities in accordance with
this section.Truro, Mass., Gen. Bylaws ch. 2 § 1 — Short-Term Rental § 2-1-3 establishes a set of prohibitions and conditions governing which dwelling units may legally operate as short-term rentals in Truro. No unit may be offered as a short-term rental without dual registration — with the town's Select Board and with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue — and compliance with Board of Health regulations. The bylaw caps individual ownership at two registered short-term rental units, bans corporate-owned units and affordable/income-restricted housing from the program, and excludes fractional or timeshare ownership arrangements, while providing limited grandfathering protections for holders of existing certificates.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 2-1-3, property owners operating or seeking to operate short-term rentals in Truro generally maintain registrations with both the Select Board and the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, and keep their units in compliance with Board of Health rules. Compliant operators hold registrations in their own name — not a management company's name — and limit their short-term rental portfolio to no more than two dwelling units, regardless of how ownership or management is structured. Owners whose units are held through an LLC, Trust, or S Corporation typically document that every member or shareholder is a natural person at the time of registration, and owners of affordable or income-restricted units should be aware those units are categorically ineligible under § 2-1-3-4.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section § 2-1-3 of Truro's short-term rental bylaw creates protections that are relevant to tenants and community members, particularly those in affordable or income-restricted housing: such units are expressly prohibited from being used as short-term rentals under § 2-1-3-4, which may be a basis for raising a concern if a landlord appears to be doing so. Tenants who believe a unit is being offered as an unregistered or otherwise non-compliant short-term rental may consider contacting the Truro Select Board or Board of Health, which are the bodies named in § 2-1-3-1 as responsible for registration and compliance. Tenant-rights organizations familiar with Massachusetts housing law can help individuals understand how these prohibitions may intersect with their own housing situation.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 11, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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