Amesbury, Mass., Code of Bylaws ch 376 § 376-3

The provisions of this Short-Term Rental License Article to establish a licensing process for short-term rentals of dwellings in the City of Amesbury are as follows: A. Short-term rental licensing. (1) All properties being considered for short-term rental licensure must meet the qualifying regulations specified in the Short-Term Rental Bylaw. (2) Licensed properties are subject to an annual licensing application fee, payable by the property owner to the City of Amesbury. The fee price is subject to the same approval process as other business licensing fees in the City of Amesbury. (3) All short-term rental agreements that the property owner engages in must be reported to the City of Amesbury for the purpose of Board of Health records and local and state excise tax purposes. B. Process. The annual licensing process is as follows: (1) No property owner shall offer or use a dwelling as a short-term rental without submitting an annual license application, paying the annual license fee, and receiving notice (in writing) that the annual short-term rental license has been approved by the licensing board (or their designated staff member or department). (2) A license for operation of said short-term rental shall be valid for one year from the date that a license is issued. (3) As part of the application for a short-term rental license, the property owner shall also certify under penalty of perjury that he/she is aware of all applicable laws, rules and regulations and will abide by and comply with all the requirements of the license, and any applicable laws, ordinances, rules and regulations, including without limitation this article and the City's Zoning Bylaw. (4) A property owner who obtains a license to use his/her dwelling as a short-term rental shall be issued a registration number by the licensing board. The registration number shall be recorded with the license application in the City's Short-Term Rental Registry. Note: The registration number may match or otherwise be associated with the short-term rental registration number that the homeowner has secured through the MA Department of Revenue (DOR) when they register or registered with that entity, as is required under MGL c. 64G. (5) The licensing board shall make each addition to the Short-Term Rental Registry available electronically via the City of Amesbury website within 30 days of such addition. (6) Each potential short-term rental shall receive a health and safety inspection by the Amesbury Inspectional Services Department and Amesbury Board of Health. If the short-term rental is a bedroom in a dwelling, the entire dwelling needs to pass the health and safety inspection. (7) A separate short-term rental license shall be required for each short-term rental. If a property includes more than one short-term rental (i.e., individual bedrooms), each short-term rental shall be required to be licensed individually. (8) No short-term rental license shall be granted without the applicant signing an agreement that they have read this article as well as the related Short-Term Rental Bylaw. C. Application components. Each short-term rental license application shall include all the following information, none of which may be waived by the licensing board: (1) Name of property owner applicant (also known as "homeowner"). (2) Evidence that the applicant is the property owner of record or in the case of a trust or entity, that the applicant is authorized to act for that trust or entity in applying for that license. (3) Address of the dwelling, including any appropriate unit numbers or letters. (4) Contact information for the property owner and his/her designee (if applicable) that can be contacted in case of emergency. (5) Evidence that the dwelling is the property owner's primary residence. (6) Registered Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) identification number for the short-term rental. (7) Survey and/or plot plan that indicates: (a) Existing structure(s) at the property. (b) Location of proposed short-term rental. (c) Location of on-street and off-street parking area(s). (8) Interior layout plan(s), highlighting: (a) The bedroom(s) proposed for use by short-term rental guests, the property owner, and any other person in the dwelling. (b) Fire and carbon monoxide detection for the short-term rental, including, but not limited to, the location of all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, the location of all fire extinguishers, and any other information deemed necessary by the compliance officer and/or Fire Prevention Officer to establish compliance with applicable building and/or fire safety codes. (9) A copy of the property's liability insurance policy. (10) A copy of the health and safety inspection report. (11) Proof that there are no outstanding fines, local taxes, fees, assessments, betterments or other municipal charges owed to the City regarding the property.