City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Gloucester, MA
How Gloucester regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Rules here limit which homes may operate as short-term rentals, how many, where, or for how many nights a year.
- Density or quota cap
- Per-person or per-parcel limit
- Annual day cap
- Registration required
- Inspection required
- Active enforcement
Based on: Gloucester Code of Ordinances Ch. 5, Article V (Short-Term Rentals), §§ 5-63 to 5-67; Ord. No. 2024-135 adopted
Summary of the rule
Gloucester Code § 5-66(t): 'The number of non-primary residential short term rental units that may be permitted shall be capped at 500.' A hard citywide supply quota on non-primary (investor) STRs.
Last reviewed Sep 9, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Gloucester · system last checked Oct 24, 2026
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City Watch provides good-faith summaries of publicly available information as of the review date shown. Rules, enforcement, and permit availability can change, and summaries may contain errors or omissions. Ratings describe the general regulatory environment; they do not establish whether a particular property or stay is permitted. This is general information, not legal advice. Before buying, listing, or hosting, verify applicable requirements with the responsible authorities and review any HOA, condominium, deed, or lease restrictions.