Springfield, Mass., Code of Bylaws ch 238 § 238-6
Registration and inspection (Springfield Short-Term Rentals)
Operative Text
A. Registration process. All residential units utilized as short-term rentals shall be required to register with the City of Springfield's Code Enforcement Department prior to commencing said use. A registration shall be valid for a one-year term, from January 1 through December 31 of each year, or for such alternative twelve-month period as the Commissioner shall determine. An operator shall provide information in its application, including: operator name, address of residential unit, operator's relationship to the unit, local contact information, dwelling floor plan showing size of bedrooms, ceiling heights, location and size of bedroom windows, clear opening per emergency escape, Building Code requirements, location and size of means of egress doors, bathroom locations, size and fixtures, proposed number of occupants/beds per room, and other information as required by the City. The operator shall also certify that he or she and the residential unit comply with the requirements of this section. An operator who successfully registers his or her residential unit as a short-term rental shall be issued a registration number. The City shall establish, maintain, and regularly update a database of registered properties through its Code Enforcement Department. To the extent allowable by law, any personal information included in the City's database created hereunder, which constitutes intimate details of a personal nature, shall be deemed confidential and exempt from public disclosure in accordance with Massachusetts Public Records Law. The City of Springfield reserves the right, in furtherance of the stated purposes and goals of this chapter, to limit the number of registrations it will accept within the City limits, within a specific neighborhood, or within a reasonable radius of any currently registered short-term rental, within a given calendar year. The City Council, receiving recommendations from the Commissioner and the Chief Development Officer of the City, and in consultation with the Mayor, shall establish and from time to time amend the number of registrations that the City will allow for approval under this chapter, whether delineated by neighborhood, radius or otherwise, and shall include that information within applications for short-term rentals. Upon submission of an application under this chapter, and on an on-going basis as necessary, registration information shall be compared to information managed and maintained by City and State Departments, in order to efficiently and effectively verify compliance with the provisions of this chapter. B. As part of the registration process under this chapter, the City of Springfield Code Enforcement Department shall inspect the residential unit being proposed for registration as a short-term rental. Such inspection shall ensure the unit meets minimum standards for human habitation. Additionally, the City shall perform annual inspections for registered short-term rentals at or around the time of renewal. Through submission of an application for registration under this chapter, owners are providing consent to allow reasonable and timely access to said unit(s) for said inspections. It shall be unlawful to operate a short-term rental without a functioning smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector, and fire extinguisher on the licensed premises, in each bedroom and common area. C. Fees. Operators shall be responsible for paying an application fee of $200 per application under this chapter (due upon submission of the application), and upon successful registration, operators shall be responsible for paying an annual registration fee of $100 (due on January 2 of each calendar year). D. Re-registration upon unit turnover. A registration under this chapter shall be tied to both the residential unit and the operator, and will not automatically transfer upon the sale of the unit. New operators are responsible for ensuring that they re-register with the City's Office of Housing to obtain a new registration number if they wish to continue to utilize the residential unit as a short-term rental. E. Amending registration upon change in primary residence. If an operator offering a registered residential unit as a short-term rental ceases to be a primary resident of the unit, the operator shall immediately notify the City's Office of Housing, and shall immediately cease using the residential unit as a short-term rental. F. Room occupancy excise. A residential unit subject to the provisions of this chapter that is also subject to the room occupancy excise under MGL c. 64G or any other excise or surcharge pertaining to short-term rentals or transient occupancy shall comply with the provisions of said statutes.
Springfield, Mass., Code of Bylaws CH. 238 § 238-6 establishes a mandatory registration and inspection regime for all short-term rental units in Springfield. Before operating, a unit must be registered with the City's Code Enforcement Department, inspected to confirm it meets minimum habitability standards, and equipped with functioning smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers in every bedroom and common area. Registrations run on an annual cycle, carry application and renewal fees, and are tied to both the specific unit and the specific operator — meaning a change of ownership or primary residency triggers immediate obligations to re-register or cease operations.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under CH. 238 § 238-6, operators of short-term rentals in Springfield generally complete a detailed application with the Code Enforcement Department — including floor plans, egress details, and occupancy information — before accepting any guests, and pay a $200 application fee at submission plus a $100 annual renewal fee each January 2. Compliant operators maintain functioning smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers in all bedrooms and common areas at all times, and they allow reasonable access for the initial inspection and annual re-inspections. When a unit is sold or an operator stops using the unit as a primary residence, § 238-6 requires immediate notification to the City's Office of Housing and, where applicable, cessation of short-term rental activity until a new registration is obtained.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
CH. 238 § 238-6 gives guests and neighbors a basis to verify whether a short-term rental is lawfully operating in Springfield: registered units are assigned a registration number and tracked in a publicly accessible database maintained by the Code Enforcement Department. The provision requires that every registered unit pass an initial inspection and annual re-inspections confirming minimum habitability standards, and that smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers be present and functioning throughout the premises. Anyone who believes a short-term rental is operating without a valid registration or in violation of these safety requirements may contact the Springfield Code Enforcement Department or consult a local tenant-rights organization to understand available complaint and enforcement options.
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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