Short Term Rentals
The City Council adopted short-term rental regulations on October 23, 2023. The full set of regulations can be viewed here and a summary can be viewed here. Starting May 3rd at 8:30 am, a link to a portal will be available here for registration. Short-term rental owners/operators will have until May 31st to register before the operation is considered a violation. Existing operators can prepare for the application process and prepare their dwellings for inspection by completing the items listed below. If you wish to be added to a list in order to ensure that you are contacted directly when there are updates on this new system, please email planning@bangormaine.gov or call 207-992-4257.
Please note that when the licensing process becomes available, an owner or operator will be limited to applying for no more than 5 short-term rental units (total) and for no more than 50% of the units in a multi-family building. Additionally, non-hosted short-term rentals (i.e. the property is not the owner or operator's primary residence) are subject to a City-wide cap of 1% of the dwelling units in the City; these licenses will be issued on a first come, first served basis. Please also note that if your short-term rental unit is on a private septic system, per State law, you will be required to send in a site evaluator's report and may be required to upgrade your septic system, see State of Maine Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Rules, Section 5.E(3).
Information/fees that will be required for the application
- A fee of $250, plus any applicable bank or credit card processing fees, for new license applications and renewal licenses being renewed for the 3rd time (since inspections are required by default for new applications and every 3 years thereafter). For licenses being renewed for the 1st or 2nd time, the fee will be $100 unless additional inspections are determined to be needed; each additional inspection is $100.
- The name, address, e-mail address, and phone number of the applicant, and, if different than the applicant, the contact information of the owner of the building in which the short-term rental unit is proposed to be located, along with written permission from said owner to operate the short-term rental unit.
- For short-term rentals in any three-family dwelling, four-family dwelling, apartment building, multiple-unit housing, attached residential building, or mixed residential and commercial building where all of the dwellings units within the building are under the same ownership or under unified management or control, a written statement from the owner identifying which dwelling units (not to exceed 50%) may be used for short-term rental.
- Number of bedrooms in the short-term rental unit
- Street address of the building where the short-term rental unit is located
- The number of proposed short-term rental units within the building
- The total number of dwelling units in the building if the building is anything other than a single-family dwelling
- Indication of whether the short-term rental unit is proposed as a hosted or non-hosted rental (hosted being that the premises are the owner or operator’s permanent residence and non-hosted being where they are not the owner or operator’s primary residence)
- Indication of whether there are other uses besides residential in the building (e.g. restaurant, retail, etc)
- If the applicant is a tenant, a lease agreement or other written authorization signed by the landlord showing permission to use the unit as a short-term rental.
- If the owner or operator is a legal entity other than a natural person, documentation showing the name(s) of all natural persons who have an ownership interest in the legal entity and the contact information of at least one of the named individuals.
- Attestation that the owner or operator is not exceeding the cap of 5 short-term rental units per person or entity.
- If a hosted rental, documentation/evidence that the property is the primary residence of the owner or operator (primary residence being where a person resides for more than 6 months and registers as their address for tax and/or government identification purposes)
- The name, phone number, and e-mail address of a natural person who is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to respond within 60 minutes to any on-site emergency at the premises where the short-term rental unit is located during any period when the short-term rental unit is occupied.
- Proof of insurance: a certificate of insurance that expressly states that the building and property may be used for short-term rental purposes and evidencing property insurance and general liability insurance in a sufficient amount to cover liabilities reasonably arising from short-term rental use.
- If on a private wastewater system (i.e. septic), a site evaluator’s report and septic design
Inspection checklist
Address
- A building containing a short-term rental unit must have approved, contrasting address numbers placed in a location that is visible from the street.
Storage and Trash
- Stairs hallways and entryways must be clear of any trash or personal belongings.
- Combustible and flammable liquids and gases are not allowed inside the building or short-term rental unit unless they are in listed lockers.
- There must be a container outside of the building for accumulated trash.
Exits
- The building must have two well-lit exits.
- Exits must not be blocked by snow, personal belongings, or in any other fashion.
- Fire escapes, if any, must be in good condition and not blocked.
- The building must comply with applicable fire and life safety codes.
Electrical
- Extension cords are not allowed, except for temporary use (e.g., cleaning, construction).
- Electrical panels must be easily accessed and covered, and fuses/circuits labeled and of the proper type.
- Electrical receptacle boxes must have cover plates.
Heating Equipment
- Heating equipment must be in good working order with no fuel leaks (this includes oil tanks), properly vented and, in the case of an oil furnace/boiler, have an emergency shut-off switch.
Fire Safety
- For short-term rental units located in apartment buildings, each apartment unit door must be labeled with a uniquely identifying number (e.g., Apartment 1, Apartment 2).
- Electric-powered smoke alarms must be installed inside each bedroom, in the room outside of the bedrooms, and on each level of the building (if applicable). Smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years.
- At least one carbon monoxide detector (electric powered with battery back-up) must be in the building, located outside of the bedrooms.
- No gasoline or other flammable liquids and gases shall be stored in the apartment building.
Space Heaters Prohibited
- Electric space heaters in any building containing a short-term rental unit shall comply with applicable UL standards.
Affected Zones
URD-1: Urban Residence District 1
URD-2: Urban Residence District 2
M&SD: Multifamily & Service District
NSD: Neighborhood Service District
USD: Urban Service District
DDD: Downtown Development District
WDD: Waterfront Development District
LDR: Low-Density Residential District
HDR: High-Density Residential District
S&PS: Shopping & Personal Service District
GC&S: General Commercial & Service District
RR&A: Rural Residence & Agricultural District
Map of Affected Zones
Any parcel within or within 100’ of a zone shown on this map is affected
The text at the bottom of the map is a list of credits for data included in the map. The map uses what’s called a basemap, which is created/contributed to by various organizations. For this one, it seems that the Province of New Brunswick had a hand in creating it. Other organizations listed at the bottom include ESRI (a major mapping software company), Garmin, and several US government agencies; these all had a hand in creating the basemap.
You can find your parcel and zone on our interactive parcel viewer here
You can find more information about each zone here
Background Information