Springfield, Mass., Code of Bylaws ch 238 § 238-5
Requirements for the operation of short-term rentals (Springfield Short-Term Rentals)
Operative Text
A. Residential units offered as a short-term rental shall either be home share units, limited share units, or owner-adjacent units, as defined within this chapter. B. One party of renters. A residential unit offered as a short-term rental shall be rented to only one party of short-term renters at a time, not rented as separate bedrooms, beds, or spaces to separate parties. C. Number of short-term renters. A residential unit offered as a short-term rental shall be limited to eight guests total, or two guests per guest bedroom total, whichever is fewer. No more than four bedrooms at a time may be offered as a short-term rental. D. A residential unit offered as a short-term rental shall comply with all standards and regulations promulgated by the City of Springfield's Office of Housing and Code Enforcement Department. E. Short-term rental of a shared residential unit. An operator may offer bedrooms within their residential unit as a short-term rental 365 days per year. One bedroom in the unit shall be reserved for, and occupied by, the operator during the entire term of the rental. F. Short-term rental of an unoccupied residential unit. Short-term rentals shall not exceed, in the aggregate, 90 consecutive or nonconsecutive calendar days per year, when the operator is not occupying the residential unit during the entire term of the short-term rental. G. Rental period and use. Renting for an hourly rate, or for rental durations of fewer than 10 consecutive hours shall not be permitted. Commercial meetings and uses are prohibited in short-term rentals. H. No outstanding violations. The residential unit offered as a short-term rental shall not have any outstanding building, sanitary, zoning, or fire code violations, orders of abatement, or stop-work orders, or other requirements, laws, or regulations that prohibit the operator from offering the residential unit as a short-term rental. If a violation or other order is issued, upon notice of said violation or order short-term rental use shall be terminated until the violation has been cured or otherwise resolved. I. Three or more violations in a six-month period. Should a property receive three or more violations within a six-month period under this section, or of any municipal ordinance, state law, or building code, any residential unit within the property shall be ineligible to be used as a short-term rental for a period of six months from the third or subsequent violation. J. Compliance and interaction with other laws. Operators shall comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and codes, including but not limited to the Fair Housing Act, MGL c. 151B and local equivalents and regulations related thereto, and all other regulations applicable to residential dwellings. Operators shall certify at the time of registration that the operator is the owner of the residential unit offered as a short-term rental. K. Retention of records. The operator shall retain and make available to the City, upon written request, records to demonstrate compliance with this section, including but not limited to: records demonstrating the number of months that the operator has resided or will reside in residential unit, if applicable; records showing consent of the owner of the residential unit to the residential unit's use as a short-term rental, if applicable; and records demonstrating number of days per year that the residential unit is offered as a short-term rental. The operator shall retain such records for as long as he or she desires to use the residential unit as a short-term rental. L. Notifications. The operator shall post and maintain a sign on the inside of the short-term rental on the entry level, visible to and reasonably likely to be readily accessed by individuals utilizing the short-term rental, with the following information: (1) Instructions for the disposal of waste per the City's recycling and trash programs; (2) Information regarding the City's parking regulations, including but not limited to visitor parking passes, street sweeping, and snow emergencies; (3) The local noise ordinances of the City; (4) Contact information for the operator, or when the operator is not present, the contact information for a locally available contact designated and authorized to respond to all emergencies and problems that may arise during the rental period. Contact information, including for the operator and a local contact, shall be provided to the City along with the application for registration. (5) In each bedroom, the operator shall post a laminated egress plan showing a red lined path to locations of exits. M. Parking requirements. Prior to a permit being issued by the City of Springfield, the operator must submit to the Planning Department a plan detailing parking instructions for guests of any short-term rental. This plan must be approved by the Planning Department. Additionally, the operator shall, within 30 days of approved registration, provide notice to abutters of a residential unit (any residential dwelling located within 300 feet of said residential unit) that the residential unit has been registered as a short-term rental.
Springfield, Mass., Code of Bylaws CH. 238 § 238-5 establishes a detailed set of operating requirements for short-term rentals within the city. Units must fall into one of three defined categories (home share, limited share, or owner-adjacent), may host no more than eight guests or two per bedroom—whichever is fewer—and cannot be rented to multiple separate parties simultaneously. Unoccupied units may only be rented for up to 90 days per year in aggregate, while shared units (where the operator remains on-site) may be rented year-round, with one bedroom always reserved for the operator. The provision also imposes rules on minimum rental duration, record-keeping, posted notices, parking plans, and neighbor notification, and it bars rentals from any unit carrying unresolved code violations.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Operators subject to CH. 238 § 238-5 generally ensure their unit is registered in the correct category, maintain records demonstrating residency and rental-day counts, and keep those records available for City review upon written request. Compliant operators post the required interior sign with waste disposal instructions, parking information, noise ordinance details, operator contact information, and a laminated egress plan in each bedroom. They also submit an approved parking plan to the Planning Department before receiving a permit and provide written notice to all residential neighbors within 300 feet within 30 days of registration—and they promptly suspend short-term rental activity if any building, sanitary, zoning, or fire code violation is issued against the property.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Guests and neighbors should be aware that CH. 238 § 238-5 entitles short-term rental occupants to certain baseline protections, including a unit free of outstanding code violations, a posted interior sign with emergency contact information and an egress plan in each bedroom, and a rental arrangement that covers the entire unit rather than individual beds or rooms sold separately. If a unit appears to lack these required postings, has unresolved violations, or is being operated in a way that seems inconsistent with the provision's requirements, residents and guests can report concerns to the City of Springfield's Office of Housing and Code Enforcement Department. Tenant-rights organizations familiar with Springfield's bylaws can help individuals understand how CH. 238 § 238-5 interacts with other local and state housing protections, including those under MGL c. 151B.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 11, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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