Click here to check Short-Term Rental Eligibility

Boston's ordinance on short-term rentals is designed to incorporate the growth of the home-share industry into the City's work to create affordable housing for all residents. We want to preserve housing for residents while allowing Bostonians to benefit from this new industry. Starting on on January 1, 2019, short-term rentals in Boston will need to register with the City of Boston.

Eligibility for every unit in the City of Boston is dependant on the following six criteria:

• No affordability covenant restrictions
• Compliance with housing laws and codes
• No violations of laws regarding short-term rental use
• Owner occupied
• Two- or three-family dwelling
• Residential use classification

The Short-Term Rental Eligibility Dataset leverages information, wherever possible, about these criteria. For additional details and information about these criteria, please visit https://www.boston.gov/short-term-rentals.

ABOUT THIS DATASET

In June 2018, a citywide ordinance established new guidelines and regulations for short-term rentals in Boston. Registration opened January 1, 2019. The Short-Term Rental Eligibility Dataset was created to help residents, landlords, and City officials determine whether a property is eligible to be registered as a short-term rental.

The Short-Term Rental Eligibility Dataset currently joins data from the following datasets and is refreshed nightly:

• Live Street Address Management (SAM) Addresses.
• Assessing Online.
• Building and Property Violations
• Problem Properties
• Income-Restricted Properties
• STR Registration Data

HOW TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY FOR SHORT-TERM RENTAL REGISTRATION

1. ** Open** the Short-Term Rental Eligibility Dataset. In the dataset's search bar, enter the address of the property you are seeking to register.

2. Find the row containing the correct address and unit of the property you are seeking. This is the information we have for your unit.

3. Look at the columns marked as “Home-Share Eligible,” “Limited-Share Eligible,” and “Owner-Adjacent Eligible.”

   • A “yes” under any of these columns means your unit IS eligible for registration under that short-term rental type. Click here for a description of short-term rental types.
   • A “no” under any of these columns means your unit is NOT eligible for registration under that short-term rental type. Click here for a description of short-term rental types.

4. If your unit has a “yes” under “Home-Share Eligible,” “Limited-Share Eligible,” or “Owner-Adjacent Eligible,” you can register your unit here.

WHY IS MY UNIT LISTED AS “NOT ELIGIBLE”?

If you find that your unit is listed as NOT eligible, and you would like to understand more about why, you can use the Short-Term Rental Eligibility Dataset to learn more. The following columns measure each of the six eligibility criteria in the following ways:

1. No affordability covenant restrictions

   • A “yes” in the “Income Restricted” column tells you that the unit is marked as income restricted and is NOT eligible.
     
     
   • The “Income Restricted” column measures whether the unit is subject to an affordability covenant, as reported by the Department of Neighborhood Development and/or the Boston Planning and Development Agency.
     
     
   • For questions about affordability covenants, contact the Department of Neighborhood Development.
     
     

2. Compliance with housing laws and codes

   • A “yes” in the “Problem Properties” column tells you that this unit is considered a “Problem Property” by the Problem Properties Task Force and is NOT eligible.
     
     
   • Learn more about how “Problem Properties” are defined here.
     
     
   • A “yes” in the “Problem Property Owner” column tells you that the owner of this unit also owns a “Problem Property,” as reported by the Problem Properties Task Force.
     
     
   • Owners with any properties designated as a Problem Property are NOT eligible.
     
     
   • No unit owned by the owner of a “Problem Property” may register a short-term rental.
     
     
   • Learn more about how “Problem Properties” are defined here.
     
     
   • The “Open Violation Count” column tells you how many open violations the unit has. Units with any open violations are NOT eligible. Violations counted include: violations of the sanitary, building, zoning, and fire code; stop work orders; and abatement orders.
     
     
   • NOTE: Violations written before 1/1/19 that are still open will make a unit NOT eligible until these violations are resolved.
     
     
   • If your unit has an open violation, visit these links to appeal your violation(s) or pay your code violation fine(s).
     
     
   • The “Violations in the Last 6 Months” column tells you how many violations the unit has received in the last six months. Units with three or more violations, whether open or closed, are NOT eligible.
     
     
   • NOTE: Only violations written on or after 1/1/19 will count against this criteria.
     
     
   • If your unit has an open violation, visit these links to appeal your violation(s) or pay your code violation fine(s).
     
     
   • How to comply with housing laws and codes:
     
     
   • Have an open violation? Visit these links to appeal your violation(s) or pay your code violation fine(s).
     
     
   • Have questions about problem properties? Visit Neighborhood Service’s Problem Properties site.
     
     

3. No violations of laws regarding short-term rental use

   • A “yes” in the “Legally Restricted” column tells you that there is a complaint against the unit that finds

     • A legal restriction that prohibits the use of the unit as a Short-Term Rental under local, state, or federal law, OR

     • legal restriction that prohibits the use of the unit as a Short-Term Rental under condominium bylaws.

     • Units with legal restrictions found upon investigation are NOT eligible.
       
       

     • If the investigation of a complaint against the unit yields restrictions of the nature detailed above, we will mark the unit with a “yes” in this column. Until such complaint-based investigations begin, all units are marked with “no.”
       
       

     • NOTE: Currently no units have a “legally restricted” designation.
       
       

4. Owner-occupied

   • A “no” in the “Unit Owner-Occupied” column tells you that there is NO Residential Tax Exemption filed for that unit via the Assessing Department, and that unit is automatically categorized as NOT eligible for the following Short-Term Rental types:

     • Home-Share
     • Limited-Share
       
       
     • Residential Tax Exemption indicates that a unit is owner-occupied and generates a “yes” in the “Unit Owner-Occupied” column.
       
       

     • Owners are not required to file a Residential Tax Exemption in order to be eligible to register a unit as a Short-Term Rental.
       
       

     • If you would like to apply for Residential Tax Exemption, you can apply here.
       
       

     • If you are the owner-occupant of a unit and you have not filed for Residential Tax Exemption, you can still register your unit by proving owner-occupancy.
       

     • It is recommended that you submit proof of residency in your short-term rental registration application to expedite the process of proving owner-occupancy (see

There are several forms, regulations and data associated with the Emergency Assistance (EA) Family Shelter Program for our business partners and constituents.

This resource is a member of a series. The TIGER/Line shapefiles and related database files (.dbf) are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the U.S. Census Bureau's Master Address File / Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) Database (MTDB). The MTDB represents a seamless national file with no overlaps or gaps between parts, however, each TIGER/Line shapefile is designed to stand alone as an independent data set, or they can be combined to cover the entire nation. The TIGER/Line shapefiles include both incorporated places (legal entities) and census designated places or CDPs (statistical entities). An incorporated place is established to provide governmental functions for a concentration of people as opposed to a minor civil division (MCD), which generally is created to provide services or administer an area without regard, necessarily, to population. Places always nest within a state, but may extend across county and county subdivision boundaries. An incorporated place usually is a city, town, village, or borough, but can have other legal descriptions. CDPs are delineated for the decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places. CDPs are delineated to provide data for settled concentrations of population that are identifiable by name, but are not legally incorporated under the laws of the state in which they are located. The boundaries for CDPs often are defined in partnership with state, local, and/or tribal officials and usually coincide with visible features or the boundary of an adjacent incorporated place or another legal entity. CDP boundaries often change from one decennial census to the next with changes in the settlement pattern and development; a CDP with the same name as in an earlier census does not necessarily have the same boundary. The only population/housing size requirement for CDPs is that they must contain some housing and population. The boundaries of most incorporated places in this shapefile are as of January 1, 2023, as reported through the Census Bureau's Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS). The boundaries of all CDPs were delineated as part of the Census Bureau's Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP) for the 2020 Census, but some CDPs were added or updated through the 2023 BAS as well.

Residential Home Purchases Category Archives — Massachusetts Real Estate Lawyer Blog Published by Massachusetts Real Estate Attorneys — Pulgini & Norton, LLP Attorneys at Law | Published by Massachusetts Real Estate Attorneys — Pulgini & Norton, LLP Attorneys at Law

Petition subject: Racial discrimination Original: http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL:25455108 Date of creation: (unknown) Petition location: Massachusetts Legislator, committee, or address that the petition was sent to: Katharine D. Kane, Boston; committee on urban affairs Selected signatures:Massachusetts Committee on Discrimination in HousingKatharine D. KaneMartin A. Linsky Actions taken on dates: 1968-01-03,1968-01-04,1968-03-27 Legislative action: Received in the House on January 3, 1968 and referred to the committee on urban affairs and sent for concurrence and received in the Senate on January 4, 1968 and concurred and received in the House on March 27, 1968 and recommitted Total signatures: 7 Legislative action summary: Received, referred, sent, received, concurred, received, recommitted Legal voter signatures (males not identified as non-legal): 1 Female signatures: 1 Unidentified signatures: 5 Female only signatures: No Identifications of signatories: Massachusetts Committee on Discrimination in Housing, Massachusetts Chapter Americans for Democratic Action, Massachusetts Federation for Fair Housing and Equal Rights, American Friends Service Committee, United Church of Christ, [females], ["others"] Prayer format was printed vs. manuscript: Printed Signatory column format: not column separated Additional non-petition or unrelated documents available at archive: additional documents available Additional archivist notes: amendment of the housing authority law, includes addresses, towns next to names including Boston, West Concord, Roxbury, Norfolk county Location of the petition at the Massachusetts Archives of the Commonwealth: St. 1968, c.249, passed May 8, 1968 Acknowledgements: Supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-5105612), Massachusetts Archives of the Commonwealth, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University, Institutional Development Initiative at Harvard University, and Harvard University Library.

This TNC Lands spatial dataset represents the lands and waters in which The Nature Conservancy (TNC) currently has, or historically had, an interest, legal or otherwise in Massachusetts. The system of record for TNC Lands is the Legal Records Management (LRM) system, which is TNC’s database for all TNC land transactions.TNC properties should not be considered open to the public unless specifically designated as being so. TNC may change the access status at any time at its sole discretion. It's recommended to visit preserve-specific websites or contact the organization operating the preserve before any planned visit for the latest conditions, notices, and closures. TNC prohibits redistribution or display of the data in maps or online in any way that misleadingly implies such lands are universally open to the public.The types of current land interests represented in the TNC Lands data include: Fields and Attributes included in the public dataset:Field NameField DefinitionAttributesAttribute Definitions Public NameThe name of the tract that The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Business Unit (BU) uses for public audiences.Public name of tract if applicableN/A TNC Primary InterestThe primary interest held by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) on the tractFee OwnershipProperties where TNC currently holds fee-title or exclusive rights and control over real estate. Fee Ownership can include TNC Nature Preserves, managed areas, and properties that are held for future transfer. Conservation EasementProperties on which TNC holds a conservation easement, which is a legally binding agreement restricting the use of real property for conservation purposes (e.g., no development). The easement may additionally provide the holder (TNC) with affirmative rights, such as the rights to monitor species or to manage the land. It may run forever or for an expressed term of years. Deed RestrictionProperties where TNC holds a deed restriction, which is a provision placed in a deed restricting or limiting the use of the property in some manner (e.g., if a property goes up for sale, TNC gets the first option). TransferProperties where TNC historically had a legal interest (fee or easement), then subsequently transferred the interest to a conservation partner. AssistProperties where TNC assisted another agency/entity in protecting. Management Lease or AgreementAn agreement between two parties whereby one party allows the other to use their property for a certain period of time in exchange for a periodic fee. Grazing Lease or PermitA grazing lease or permit held by The Nature Conservancy Right of WayAn access easement or agreement held by The Nature Conservancy. OtherAnother real estate interest or legal agreement held by The Nature Conservancy Fee OwnerThe name of the organization serving as fee owner of the tract, or "Private Land Owner" if the owner is a private party. If The Nature Conservancy (TNC) primary interest is a "Transfer" or "Assist", then this is the fee owner at the time of the transaction.Fee Owner NameN/A Fee Org TypeThe type of organization(s) that hold(s) fee ownership. Chosen from a list of accepted values.Organization Types for Fee OwnershipFED:Federal, TRIB:American Indian Lands, STAT:State,DIST:Regional Agency Special District, LOC:Local Government, NGO:Non-Governmental Organization, PVT:Private, JNT:Joint, UNK:Unknown, TERR:Territorial, DESG:Designation Other Interest HolderThe name of the organization(s) that hold(s) a different interest in the tract, besides fee ownership or TNC Primary Interest. This may include TNC if the Other Interest is held or co-held by TNC. Multiple interest holders should be separated by a semicolon (;).Other Interest Holder NameN/A Other Interest Org TypeThe type of organization(s) that hold(s) a different interest in the tract, besides fee ownership. This may include TNC if the Other Interest is held or co-held by TNC. Chosen from a list of accepted values.Organization Types for interest holders:FED:Federal, TRIB:American Indian Lands, STAT:State,DIST:Regional Agency Special District, LOC:Local Government, NGO:Non-Governmental Organization, PVT:Private, JNT:Joint, UNK:Unknown, TERR:Territorial, DESG:Designation Other Interest TypeThe other interest type held on the tract. Chosen from a list of accepted values.​Access Right of Way; Conservation Easement; Co-held Conservation Easement; Deed Restriction; Co-held Deed Restriction; Fee Ownership; Co-held Fee Ownership; Grazing Lease or Permit; Life Estate; Management Lease or Agreement; Timber Lease or Agreement; OtherN/A Preserve NameThe name of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) preserve that the tract is a part of, this may be the same name as the as the "Public Name" for the tract.Preserve Name if applicableN/APublic AccessThe level of public access allowed on the tract.Open AccessAccess is encouraged on the tract, trails are maintained, signage is abundant, and parking is available. The tract may include regular hours of availability.Open with Limited AccessThere are no special requirements for public access to the tract, the tract may include regular hours of availability with limited amenities.Restricted AccessThe tract requires a special permit from the owner for access, a registration permit on public land, or has highly variable times or conditions to use.Closed AccessNo public access is allowed on the tract.UnknownAccess information for the tract is not currently available.Gap CategoryThe Gap Analysis Project (GAP) code for the tract. Gap Analysis is the science of determining how well we are protecting common plants and animals. Developing the data and tools to support that science is the mission of the Gap Analysis Project (GAP) at the US Geological Survey. See their website for more information, linked in the field name.1 - Permanent Protection for BiodiversityPermanent Protection for Biodiversity2 - Permanent Protection to Maintain a Primarily Natural StatePermanent Protection to Maintain a Primarily Natural State3 - Permanently Secured for Multiple Uses and in natural coverPermanently Secured for Multiple Uses and in natural cover39 - Permanently Secured and in agriculture or maintained grass coverPermanently Secured and in agriculture or maintained grass cover4 - UnsecuredUnsecured (temporary easements lands and/or municipal lands that are already developed (schools, golf course, soccer fields, ball fields)9 - UnknownUnknownProtected AcresThe planar area of the tract polygon in acres, calculated by the TNC Lands geographic information system (GIS).Total geodesic area of polygon in acresProjection: WGS 1984 Web Mercator Auxiliary SphereOriginal Protection DateThe original protection date for the tract, from the Land Resource Management (LRM) system record.Original protection dateN/AStateThe state within the United States of America or the Canadian province where the tract is located.Chosen from a list of state names.N/ACountryThe name of the country where the tract is located.Chosen from a list of countries.N/ADivisionThe name of the TNC North America Region Division where the tract is located. Chosen from a list of TNC North America DivisionsN/A

1 computer laser optical disc ; 4 3/4 in. Provides census data designed and formatted for use in legislative redistricting. Census counts, for areas as small as blocks, census tracts, and voting districts, include totals for population, race groups, persons of Hispanic origin, population 18 years and over, and housing units.