Ontario Airbnb & Short-Term Rental Rules 2026

LawfulStay tracks short-term rental rules for 41 places in Ontario, Canada. Select a place below for its permit, tax and other rules, or see all of Canada.

1 Conditional 31 Restricted 9 None

Ontario at a glance

Places tracked: 41 places: 1 conditional, 31 restricted, 9 with no rules
License or registration: Required in 28 of 41 local places
Tax on stays: Applies in 39 of 41 local places
Regional law: No regional short-term rental law on record; rules are set locally.

Ontario short-term rental questions

Are short-term rentals legal in Ontario?

In all 41 places we track in Ontario, short-term rentals are allowed, 32 of them with permit conditions or limits.

Do I need a license for a short-term rental in Ontario?

28 of 41 local places we track in Ontario require a license, permit or registration. Check your city's page for its rules.

Is there a regional short-term rental law in Ontario?

We have no regional short-term rental law on record for Ontario. Cities and towns set their own rules.

Which places in Ontario have the strictest rules?

On our records: Toronto, Mississauga, Ottawa, Lambton Shores, Grand Bend (Lambton Shores), Niagara Falls.

Ontario Airbnb & Vacation Rental Regulation Overview

The short-term rental regulatory landscape in Ontario encompasses 41 tracked jurisdictions: 1 where rentals are allowed with conditions, 31 with restrictions. Hosts operating on platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com should verify local requirements before listing, as rules vary significantly between cities and regions.

28 of 41 tracked jurisdictions in Ontario require some form of permit, license, or registration for short-term rental operations. Requirements range from simple online registration to comprehensive permit applications with inspections.

Tax obligations apply in 39 of 41 jurisdictions. Common taxes include occupancy taxes, tourist levies, and sales taxes. Many jurisdictions require hosts to register for tax collection, and some platforms like Airbnb collect and remit taxes automatically in select locations.

Cities with significant restrictions on vacation rentals include Toronto, Mississauga, Ottawa. These jurisdictions typically impose permit caps, zoning limitations, or primary residence requirements.

LawfulStay monitors Ontario STR regulations daily and updates this page as rules change. Each city page includes detailed permit requirements, fee schedules, tax rates, zoning rules, and penalty information sourced from official government websites.

Ajax allows short-term rentals only in the operator's own principal residence, for up to 180 days a year and 28 days per stay, in most residential zones but not Country Residential

Aurora requires a yearly short-term rental licence ($415 new, $393 renewal in 2026) for any stay under 28 days

Belleville requires a yearly licence for every short-term rental: $1,000 for a whole home or $500 for a room in the owner's principal residence

Brampton allows short-term rentals only in the host's own principal residence, with a yearly City licence

Brantford allows short-term rentals only in the operator's principal residence (an additional unit on the same property counts)

You can only host short stays in Burlington in the home you live in, with a $300 city licence, for no more than 183 days a year

Since September 8, 2026, Caledon requires a short-term rental licence ($250 introductory, $500 after November 6, 2026)

Grand Bend (Lambton Shores)

Allowed, with material limits.

Guelph licenses short-term rentals only for owners operating from their own principal residence in the city; tenants and corporations are excluded

Principal-residence-only licensing for stays under 28 days; 4% Municipal Accommodation Tax applies to STRs from 1 July 2026

Licence required for non-owner occupied STRs; max occupancy 10; 4% MAT tax; 24/7 responsible person required

Allowed, with material limits.

Markham has no short-term rental licence, and its zoning by-law does not permit short-term accommodation (stays under 30 days) in any zone without a site-specific Council approval

Milton requires a yearly short-term rental licence ($375) for stays of 28 days or less, and only the operator's principal residence qualifies

Allowed, with material limits.

Newmarket requires a yearly short-term rental licence, and a permanent resident (owner or tenant) must live on the property and be in town while guests stay

Niagara Falls, Ontario allows whole-home vacation rentals only in tourist and commercial zones, with a City licence

North Bay requires a short-term rental licence ($600, then $275 a year)

Oakville allows short-term rentals only in the host's own principal residence, with a yearly Town licence ($292 in 2026)

Oshawa allows short-term rentals only in the owner's own principal residence, with a yearly City licence ($100 plus a $50 application fee)

Ottawa's principal-residence requirement is strictly enforced

Pickering's zoning by-law allows a short-term rental only in the principal residence of the person who runs it and lives there, one per home, for stays of 28 days or less

Richmond Hill has no short-term rental licence, but its 2025 zoning by-law allows short-term rentals only in the operator's own principal residence, for stays under 28 days

Sarnia requires an annual short-term accommodation licence ($173.25 new, $123 renewal) with a fire inspection

Sault Ste. Marie

St. Catharines allows short-term rentals only in a home that is the operator's principal residence (owner or long-term tenant)

STR limited to principal residence; entire-home capped at 180 nights/year

Vaughan allows short-term rentals only in the host's principal residence (owner or tenant), with a City licence ($213 in 2026) and stays of 29 nights or fewer

In the City of Waterloo you can only short-term rent the home you live in

Welland requires an annual licence ($500 to apply, $75 to renew) for every short-term rental, with fire and electrical safety checks

Windsor allows short-term rentals only in a home that is the principal residence of at least one licence holder

City licence required for rentals of 30 days or less; 5% Municipal Accommodation Tax applies

Barrie has no short-term rental licence, principal-residence rule or night cap

Cambridge has no short-term rental by-law: no licence, no principal-residence rule and no night cap

Greater Sudbury

Greater Sudbury has no short-term rental licence, registration, principal-residence rule or night cap; zoning permits short-term rentals in any home

Halton Hills has no short-term rental licence, principal-residence rule or night cap; its zoning by-law addresses only bed and breakfasts

Kitchener does not license short-term rentals

Norfolk County has no short-term rental rules in force today

The City of Peterborough has no short-term rental by-law, licence, principal-residence rule or night cap

Thunder Bay has no short-term rental licence, zoning rule, principal-residence rule or night cap

Whitby has no short-term rental by-law, licence, principal-residence rule or night cap