City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Waitsfield, VT
How Waitsfield regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Short-term rentals here are subject to registration, a lodging tax, or a small number of operating rules.
- No municipal STR-specific ordinance, registration, permit, cap, or zoning device in force
- Town zoning bylaw (adopted 1-8-2024) contains no 'short-term rental' or 'tourist home' definition or use category
- Selectboard has only asked the Planning Commission to BEGIN researching a possible future STR registration framework — nothing enacted
- State layer reaches STR stays: VT 9% Rooms Tax + 3% STR surcharge (eff. 8/1/2024) on rentals <30 days
- 'Tourist Home' conditional-use trap does NOT apply — no such use exists in Waitsfield's bylaw; B&B is a separate owner-occupied use, not a whole-home STR device
Based on: Town of Waitsfield Zoning Bylaws, adopted 1-8-2024 — no STR provision; no separate STR ordinance enacted as of
Summary of the rule
'A short-term rental is ... a furnished house, condominium, or other dwelling ... rented to the transient, traveling, or vacationing public for a period of fewer than 30 consecutive days and for more than 14 days per calendar year.' Operators collect a 3% STR surcharge (eff. rents collected on/after Aug 1, 2024) in addition to the 9% Rooms Tax and any 1% Local Option Tax.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 15, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Waitsfield · system last checked Nov 9, 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.