Maine Airbnb & Short-Term Rental Laws 2026

LawfulStay tracks short-term rental (STR / Airbnb / Vrbo / holiday let / vacation rental) regulations for 13 jurisdictions across Maine. Select a city below for current permit requirements, tax rates, and compliance details.

7 Active 1 Conditional 5 Restricted

Maine at a glance

Places tracked
13 places: 7 active, 1 conditional, 5 restricted
License or registration
Required in 8 of 12 local places
Tax on stays
Applies in all 12 local places
State law
Maine has no statewide short-term rental license. Statewide rules ›

Maine short-term rental questions

Are short-term rentals legal in Maine?

In all 13 places we track in Maine, short-term rentals are allowed, 6 of them with permit conditions or limits.

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

8 of 12 local places we track in Maine require a license, permit or registration. Check your city's page for its rules.

Is there a statewide short-term rental law in Maine?

Maine has no statewide short-term rental license.

Which places in Maine have the strictest rules?

On our records: Portland, Kennebunkport, Ogunquit, Rockland, Bar Harbor.

Counties in Maine

Compare every Maine market

Status, licensing, fees, taxes, night caps and penalties for all 13 places in one table, with CSV export and full audits.

State Access →

Maine Airbnb & Vacation Rental Regulation Overview

The short-term rental regulatory landscape in Maine encompasses 13 tracked jurisdictions: 7 with active regulations, 1 where rentals are allowed with conditions, 5 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.

8 of 13 tracked jurisdictions in Maine 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 13 of 13 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 Portland, Kennebunkport, Ogunquit. These jurisdictions typically impose permit caps, zoning limitations, or primary residence requirements.

LawfulStay monitors Maine 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.

Bar Harbor
$275/year
Restricted
Kennebunkport
Annual town short-term rental license required: $325 for three bedrooms or fewer, $575 for four or more, one dwelling unit per license
Restricted
Ogunquit
$250/year. 7-night minimum effectively prohibits short weekend getaways
Restricted
Portland
Portland caps non-owner-occupied mainland short-term rentals at 1.5% of the prior year's registered long-term rental units (set each September 1, from 2026), and mainland single-family homes and condos can be registered…
Restricted
Rockland
Cap of 45 non-owner-occupied permits a year; owner-occupied rentals are not capped
Restricted
Old Orchard Beach
Old Orchard Beach is one of Maine's highest-density summer rental markets with 1,000+ Airbnb listings
Conditional
Boothbay Harbor
Statewide rules apply: Boothbay Harbor is part of Statewide
Active
Brunswick
Brunswick has no separate short-term rental ordinance, cap or permit, but short-term rentals must be registered in the town's rental registry
Active
Camden
Regulations were voter-approved
Active
Ellsworth
Ellsworth has no local short-term rental rules today; its pandemic-era ordinance expired and the city is only studying a possible registration and safety inspection program
Active
Rockport
Rockport has no short-term rental registration or permit
Active
Maine (statewide)
Maine has no statewide short-term rental license
Active
Wells
Wells does not regulate short-term rentals yet
Active