City Watch
Short-term rental rules in St. Michaels, MD
How St. Michaels 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.
- STRs permitted by-right only in the CC (commercial) District, and there only above the first floor of a principal building (§340-73.A)
- residential whole-home STR foreclosed: the single-family-dwelling pathway (§340-73.B) is limited to pre-1945 detached dwellings of no more than 1,400 sq ft sleeping no more than four persons
- Ord. No. 566 (adopted Jan 2025) permanently bars NEW short-term rental permits for historic vacation cottages in the R-2 District; ~11 existing rentals grandfathered as of Jan 8, 2025
- town STR license + mandatory on-site building/fire/safety inspection required
- occupancy capped at two persons per bedroom
Based on: Zoning Ch. 340 § 340-73 (Amended 2-10-2021 by Ord. No. 519); Ord. No. 566 Historic Vacation Rentals (adopted Jan 2025)
Summary of the rule
Short-term rentals are permitted in the CC District subject to the following: (1) Except as provided in Subsection B below, all units are located above the first floor in a principal building; (2) The Town has issued a short-term rental license; ...
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 15, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring St. Michaels · system last checked Oct 25, 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.