Short-term rental rules in Nova Scotia, municipality by municipality
Written by Casa Scotia, a Nova Scotia short-term rental manager. Not affiliated with any municipality or the Province. How we keep our interest out of it →
At a glance
Every host registers with the Province. Each municipality decides the rest: whether its land-use by-law allows the rental, which document it issues for the provincial registration, and whether guests pay a marketing levy.
- Municipalities
- 49 municipalities, each with a row below: its guide, or the office to ask
- Marketing levy
- 23 municipalities charge one on short-term stays (as of 27 Sep 2026)
- Provincial registration
- $50 a year for the home you live in
- $240 to $2,000 per unit a year for a commercial short-term rental, by community tier
- Your community
- Find which municipality a community is in
General information, not advice. How we check →
In Nova Scotia, the Province registers every short-term rental host, but each municipality decides three things for itself: whether its land-use by-law allows the rental, which document it issues for provincial registration, and whether guests pay a marketing levy. The answers can differ even between a town and the district or county sharing its name.
Each municipality's row links its guide or, where the guide isn't ready, names the office to ask. Which municipalities charge a marketing levy
Check your requirements
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Everything it takes to operate legally.
Check off each item as you complete it. Every requirement links to its own source, so you can verify directly.
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This Is a Lot to Handle Alone
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Find your community
Halifax
| Municipality | Guide | Office | Marketing levy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax Regional Municipality |
| 3% in force | |
| HRM: rural plan areas |
|
|
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see the office and the levy.
South Shore
| Municipality | Guide | Office | Marketing levy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipality of the District of Barrington |
| None | |
| Municipality of the District of Chester |
|
| 3% from 1 Jan 2027 |
| Municipality of the District of Lunenburg |
|
| Proposed |
| Municipality of the District of Shelburne |
|
| None |
| Region of Queens Municipality |
|
| Proposed |
| Town of Bridgewater |
| 3% in force | |
| Town of Clark's Harbour |
| None | |
| Town of Lockeport |
| None | |
| Town of Lunenburg |
|
| 3% from 1 Jan 2027 |
| Town of Mahone Bay |
| None | |
| Town of Shelburne |
| None |
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see the office and the levy.
Southwest Nova Scotia
| Municipality | Guide | Office | Marketing levy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipality of the District of Argyle |
| 3% in force | |
| Municipality of the District of Clare |
|
| None |
| Municipality of the District of Digby |
|
| 3% per night, per room (of purchase price) in force |
| Municipality of the District of Yarmouth |
| 3% in force | |
| Town of Digby |
|
| 3% of purchase price, per room per night in force |
| Town of Yarmouth |
|
| 3% in force |
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see the office and the levy.
Annapolis Valley
| Municipality | Guide | Office | Marketing levy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipality of the County of Annapolis |
| 3% in force | |
| Municipality of the County of Kings |
| None | |
| Town of Annapolis Royal |
| None | |
| Town of Berwick |
| ||
| Town of Kentville |
|
| None |
| Town of Middleton |
| None | |
| Town of Wolfville |
|
| |
| West Hants Regional Municipality |
|
| Proposed |
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see the office and the levy.
Central Nova Scotia
| Municipality | Guide | Office | Marketing levy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipality of the County of Colchester |
| 3% in force | |
| Municipality of the County of Cumberland |
| None | |
| Municipality of the District of East Hants |
| None | |
| Town of Amherst |
| None | |
| Town of Oxford |
| None | |
| Town of Stewiacke |
| 3% in force | |
| Town of Truro |
| 3% in force |
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see the office and the levy.
Northeastern Nova Scotia
| Municipality | Guide | Office | Marketing levy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipality of the County of Antigonish |
| None | |
| Municipality of the County of Pictou |
| 3% in force | |
| Municipality of the District of Guysborough |
| None | |
| Municipality of the District of St. Mary's |
| Proposed | |
| Town of Antigonish |
|
| 3% in force |
| Town of Mulgrave |
| None | |
| Town of New Glasgow |
| 3% in force | |
| Town of Pictou |
| Proposed | |
| Town of Stellarton |
| 3% in force | |
| Town of Trenton |
| 3% in force | |
| Town of Westville |
|
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see the office and the levy.
Cape Breton Island
| Municipality | Guide | Office | Marketing levy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Breton Regional Municipality |
|
| 3% in force |
| Municipality of the County of Inverness |
| 3% in force | |
| Municipality of the County of Richmond |
|
| 3% in force |
| Municipality of the County of Victoria |
|
| 3% in force |
| Town of Port Hawkesbury |
| 3% in force |
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see the office and the levy.
Which municipalities charge a marketing levy
23 municipalities charge a marketing levy on short-term stays (as of 27 Sep 2026); the rest charge none, or none we found. Guests pay it, on top of the room price; HST is charged on the levy too. Who collects it depends on the booking channel.
| Municipality and levy | Who collects it |
|---|---|
| Cape Breton Regional Municipality3% marketing levy, in force since 1 Jan 2024 |
|
| Halifax Regional Municipality3% marketing levy, in force since 1 Oct 2023 |
|
| Municipality of the County of Annapolis3% marketing levy, in force since 1 Jun 2024 |
|
| Municipality of the County of Colchester3% marketing levy, in force since 1 Apr 2024 |
|
| Municipality of the County of Inverness3% marketing levy, in force since 1 Jan 2024 |
|
| Municipality of the County of Pictou3% tourism marketing levy, in force since 1 Jan 2024 |
|
| Municipality of the County of Richmond3% marketing levy, in force since 1 Jan 2024 |
|
| Municipality of the County of Victoria3% marketing levy, in force since 1 Jan 2024 |
|
| Municipality of the District of Argyle3% marketing levy, in force since 1 May 2025 |
|
| Municipality of the District of Chester3% marketing levy, from 1 Jan 2027 |
|
| Municipality of the District of Digby3% per night, per room (of purchase price) marketing levy, in force since 1 Feb 2024 |
|
| Municipality of the District of Yarmouth3% marketing levy, in force since 1 Jun 2025 |
|
| Town of Antigonish3% marketing levy, in force since 5 Jan 2024 |
|
| Town of Bridgewater3% marketing levy, in force since 1 Apr 2025 |
|
| Town of Digby3% of purchase price, per room per night marketing and promotions levy, in force since 1 Feb 2024 |
|
| Town of Lunenburg3% marketing levy, from 1 Jan 2027 |
|
| Town of New Glasgow3% tourism marketing levy, in force since 7 Sep 2023 |
|
| Town of Port Hawkesbury3% marketing levy, in force since 1 Nov 2023 |
|
| Town of Stellarton3% tourism marketing levy, in force since 16 Aug 2023 |
|
| Town of Stewiacke3% marketing levy, in force since 1 Apr 2024 |
|
| Town of Trenton3% tourism marketing levy, in force since 20 Sep 2023 |
|
| Town of Truro3% marketing levy, in force since 2 Oct 2023 |
|
| Town of Yarmouth3% marketing levy, in force since 1 Apr 2024 |
|
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see who collects it.
Provincial registration
Hosts register each unit with the Province before advertising, renew by April 1 each year and show the number on every listing. Proof of municipal land-use compliance is required with a new application.
The yearly fee is $50 for the home you live in, or $240, $500 or $2,000 per unit for a commercial short-term rental, by community tier. A personal vacation home, mainly for your own use, pays $50, or $150 with five or more bedrooms. The provincial rules →
Topic guides
- The provincial rules, in full
- Which municipality is my community in?
- How we check the rules
- The data, and how to cite it
- Changes to the rules
- Nova Scotia STR Launch Checklist: Zoning to First Booking
Data and how to cite
Every guide is built from one public dataset, version 2026-10-02.1, in JSON and CSV, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with credit.
Recent changes
No rule change has been logged yet: the log starts when the first guides are published.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a municipal permit before registering with the Province?
Usually, yes: proof that the rental complies with the municipality's land-use by-law is required with every new provincial application, so that municipal document normally comes first. It may be a letter, a permit or a licence, and where a municipality doesn't regulate short-term rentals, the Province accepts a standard letter from it saying so. Each municipality's row on this page names its step or, where none is confirmed, the office to ask which document it issues for provincial registration. Find your community
Does the marketing levy only apply in Halifax, or elsewhere in Nova Scotia?
Not only in Halifax: many other municipalities charge their own marketing levy on short-term stays, each under its own by-law, and others have none. Unless a booking platform collects the levy, the host adds it to the guest's bill and remits it. Platform collection changes over time, so the comparison on this page lists each municipality's collectors by channel, with the date we checked. Which municipalities charge a marketing levy
Are a town and the district or county that shares its name one municipality?
No: where a town shares its name with a district or county, as in Lunenburg, Yarmouth, Digby, Shelburne, Antigonish and Pictou, they are separate municipalities under separate land-use by-laws, and their municipal steps and levies can differ. The property tax bill names the municipality a property is in, and the community finder on this page looks up a place name. Find your community
What does it cost to start a short-term rental, municipality by municipality?
It differs by municipality, because a municipal step can carry a fee of its own, and each guide adds up its municipality's published costs. The yearly provincial fee is $50 for the home you live in, $50 for a personal vacation home kept mainly for your own use ($150 with five or more bedrooms), and $240 to $2,000 per unit for a commercial short-term rental, by community tier. The marketing levy is charged to guests, not an owner cost, but unless a booking platform collects it, the host adds it to the guest's bill and remits it. Provincial registration Which municipalities charge a marketing levy
Casa Scotia manages short-term rentals within ~90 minutes of Halifax.
Owners in the area can talk to us about the municipal step, the provincial registration and running the rental.