The city made this hard. We’ll help you through it.
The Short-Term Rental Registration is real work — forms, documents, fees and a lot of small requirements that are easy to miss. Plenty of owners never start. We’ll sit with you and get the package together at no charge, because a directory where every listing is permitted is worth more to us than a subscription.
Tell us about your place and where you are in the process.
We send you Portland’s checklist and a folder to drop your documents into.
We help you get the package complete and organised.
You sign it and file it with the city.
Send us the permit number and your listing goes up free.
What the city asks for
- Proof of ownership or right to rent
- Proof of primary residence, for owner-occupied categories
- Life safety self-certification — Smoke and carbon monoxide detection.
Source: City of Portland, Permitting and Inspections · Portland City Code, Chapter 6, Article V
Worth knowing
- Portland caps the number of non-owner-occupied units on the mainland and runs a waitlist. The island regime is separate. Confirm the current cap and waitlist position with the city before you count on a registration.
- Fee tiers and caps here have changed several times. Treat anything you read elsewhere, including here, as needing a check against the city's page on the day you apply.
Lodging tax
Maine levies a state lodging tax. Confirm the current rate and whether your platform remits it with Maine Revenue Services.