City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Oxford, MD
How Oxford regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Short-term rentals here operate under a registration or permit system with ongoing operating rules.
- annual, nontransferable STR license required town-wide before any rental or advertising
- STR permitted by-right in residential districts (R-1,R-2,R-3,RR) and C1/C2 where dwellings exist
- whole-home / absentee STR permitted: applicant may declare property a second home or secondary residence and monitor via resident agent within 30 miles
- liability insurance ($500k/$1M), 60-day renewal, HOA statement, occupancy cap (lesser of 10 persons) and vehicle limits
- no cap/quota on number of licenses; no primary-residence-only requirement; no foreclosing minimum-stay
Based on: Oxford Town Code Ch. 20 (Short Term Rentals), Sec. 20.2, as amended by Ordinance No. 2507, introduced Sept. 29, 2025
Summary of the rule
In the R-1, R-2, R-3, and RR zoning districts, and in the C1 and C2 zoning districts where residential dwellings exist as of the date of adoption of this Ordinance, the use of a dwelling unit for STR will only be permitted subject to the following registration, licensing, and other requirements... No property without a current, valid STR license issued by the Town Office shall be rented or advertised for rental as an STR.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 15, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Oxford · system last checked Oct 25, 2026
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City Watch tracks changes from public sources — council agendas, state bills, local news — not a complete legal compendium.
A city permit is not the whole picture — HOA, condominium, deed, or lease rules may be stricter.
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.