Airbnb and short-term rental rules in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
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
It depends on the zone, and the zone is only the first test. The by-law lists short-term rentals in its residential, rural and recreational zones, among others, one per lot and with no residence test. Industrial and institutional zones don't list them.
Can I?
The home you live in (as Cumberland County’s by-law defines it)In some zones
A home you don’t live inIn some zones
A suite or second unit on the lot you live onIn some zones
Development permit: $25 development permit processing fee (non-refundable) (one time)
Flood Hazard Zone only: site plan approval first, covering siting outside the flood area where the lot allows, landscaping, and flood-resistant construction designed by an engineer of at least 200 CAD site plan approval processing fee: required; cost not published
Parking: at least 2 spaces, except in the Mixed-use, General Commercial, Highway Commercial, Country Commercial and Commercial Recreation zones of at least 2 parking spaces: required; cost not published
The home you live in: $50 a year
Commercial short-term rental (a home you don’t live in): $500 per unit a year
Personal vacation home (a home you don’t live in, kept mainly for your own use): $50, or $150 with five or more bedrooms
No total: the cost of flood hazard zone only: site plan approval first, covering siting outside the flood area where the lot allows, landscaping, and flood-resistant construction designed by an engineer isn’t published
The Municipality of the County of Cumberland, Nova Scotia, treats a short-term rental as a separate land use: its Land Use By-law names the zones where one may operate, sets no test of who lives there, and allows one short-term rental per lot. Starting that use needs a development permit. Municipal step →
Parrsboro, Springhill, Pugwash and Joggins follow the County's by-law; the towns of Amherst and Oxford have their own. Where this guide applies →
Land just outside the Town of Amherst, like East Amherst, is in the Municipality, and so are the former towns of Springhill and Parrsboro. The tax bill names the municipality a property is in.
Is a short-term rental allowed here?
Across the unit
The home you live in (as Cumberland County’s by-law defines it)In some zonesNo residence test: renting the home you live in follows the same zone lists and the one-per-lot limit as any other short-term rental.
A home you don’t live inIn some zonesPermitted as of right in the Lower Density Residential, Multi-unit Residential, Mixed-use, Agriculture, Rural Resource, Country Residential, Country Commercial, Recreational Residential, Commercial Recreation and Wellfield 2B, 2C, 3A and 3B zones, and by site plan approval in the Flood Hazard Zone. Not listed in the industrial, institutional, parks, Wellfield 1 or Wellfield 2A zones; the Downtown, General and Highway Commercial zones list fixed-roof overnight accommodation instead.
A suite or second unit on the lot you live onIn some zonesA dwelling and a short-term rental may share a lot in the Agriculture, Rural Resource, Country Commercial and Wellfield 2B, 2C, 3A and 3B zones. In the Lower Density Residential Zone a lot holds one dwelling or one short-term rental, not both; an accessory dwelling is not counted.
One short-term rental per lot
“8.1.2 The following uses shall be permitted in the Lower Density Residential Zone, subject to all applicable requirements of this By-law: ... (j) Short-term Rental [and the same listing in the Multi-unit Residential, Mixed-use, Agriculture, Rural Resource, Country Residential, Country Commercial, Recreational Residential, Commercial Recreation and Wellfield 2B, 2C, 3A and 3B zones]. 5.14.1 Only one short-term rental shall be permitted on a lot. SHORT-TERM RENTAL means a fixed-roof overnight accommodation where guest sleeping facilities are contained within one building on a lot and where the facilities on the lot are only rented to one party at a time.”
The zone decides, not who lives in the home. The by-law defines a short-term rental as overnight accommodation in one building, rented to one party at a time, and keeps it separate from a dwelling, so a zone that allows homes doesn't automatically allow rentals.
A lot in the Flood Hazard Zone holds only one of a dwelling, a recreational vehicle site or a short-term rental. For a lot's zone, ask Development and Planning (Development Officer and Building Officials), Municipality of the County of Cumberland, 902-667-2313, contact page; lots in the Downtown, General and Highway Commercial zones raise a separate question. What we haven't confirmed yet →
Municipal step
Municipal step · Permit
Development permit
Issued by
Development Officer, Municipality of the County of Cumberland
Conditions
Flood Hazard Zone only: site plan approval first, covering siting outside the flood area where the lot allows, landscaping, and flood-resistant construction designed by an engineer: 200 CAD site plan approval processing fee
Parking: at least 2 spaces, except in the Mixed-use, General Commercial, Highway Commercial, Country Commercial and Commercial Recreation zones: 2 parking spaces
Fee
$25 development permit processing fee (non-refundable) (one time)
Applies to
Both the home you live in and a home you don’t
Processing time
3 to 4 weeks as standard from when the application is recorded as started; longer when other agencies must approve
The by-law requires a development permit before any development, and counts a change in the use of land or a building as development; the County's list of permit-free work leaves out a change of use. Ask Development and Planning which document to give the Province as land-use proof. What we haven't confirmed yet →
Steps and costs
Check the zone of the lot and confirm the use with Development and Planning (Development Officer and Building Officials), Municipality of the County of Cumberland, 902-667-2313, contact page.
Development permit, from Development Officer, Municipality of the County of Cumberland. Details
Then register each unit with the Province and show the number on every listing. The provincial checklist →
What it costs an owner
Cost
The home you live in
Commercial short-term rental (a home you don’t live in)
Development permit
$25 development permit processing fee (non-refundable) (one time)
$25 development permit processing fee (non-refundable) (one time)
Flood Hazard Zone only: site plan approval first, covering siting outside the flood area where the lot allows, landscaping, and flood-resistant construction designed by an engineer of at least 200 CAD site plan approval processing fee
required; cost not published
required; cost not published
Parking: at least 2 spaces, except in the Mixed-use, General Commercial, Highway Commercial, Country Commercial and Commercial Recreation zones of at least 2 parking spaces
required; cost not published
required; cost not published
Provincial registration
$50 a year
$500 per unit a year
First year, municipal and provincial
No total: the cost of flood hazard zone only: site plan approval first, covering siting outside the flood area where the lot allows, landscaping, and flood-resistant construction designed by an engineer isn’t published
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see both columns.
A personal vacation home (a home you don’t live in, kept mainly for your own use; 150 rental days per registration year; an applicant may register only one personal vacation home) registers as a traditional tourist accommodation instead: $50, or $150 with five or more bedrooms a year (Regulations s.2(1), s.14).
The levy and HST are charged to guests, not owners; they are in Marketing levy.
Marketing levy
None found
We found no marketing levy in Cumberland County’s by-laws or council notices (checked 28 Sep 2026).
We found no County levy, so there is no County levy registration or remittance to describe here. The towns of Amherst and Oxford are separate: Nearby and often confused.
Provincial registration
Register each unit with the Province before advertising it. The first application includes Cumberland County’s land-use document; a renewal doesn’t need it again unless the Province asks.
Fee here: $50 a year for the home you live in; $500 per unit a year for a commercial short-term rental (a home you don’t live in); a personal vacation home pays the traditional rate, $50 or $150.
Show the registration number on every listing, and renew by April 1 each year.
The Noise By-law has no rule written for short-term rentals. It bars noise likely to unreasonably disturb a neighbourhood at any hour, and amplified sound audible beyond the property at all times. Outdoor domestic power tools, chainsaws and shouting are barred before 6 a.m. and after 10 p.m.; fireworks before 6 p.m. and after midnight.
The Municipality of the County of Cumberland is in tier 2 of the Province's Schedule A. A commercial short-term rental (a home you don't live in) pays the tier 2 fee per unit each year. A personal vacation home, kept mainly for its owner's use, pays the lower traditional rate, and a primary residence the primary-residence fee.
Source · checked 28 Sep 2026 · Confirmed in source
What we haven't confirmed yet
Ask Development and Planning which document it issues for provincial registration: its fees policy lists both a zoning confirmation letter and a development permit. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
Ask Development and Planning whether renting out the home you live in, from time to time, is a change of use that needs a development permit. The by-law defines a dwelling and a short-term rental as separate uses and doesn't address a home used both ways. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
Whether the County's review of its planning strategy and Land Use By-law will change the short-term rental rules. Council hadn't adopted new documents when we checked, and the County says applications are assessed under the by-law in force when they are complete. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
Ask Development and Planning whether a whole-home rental in the Downtown, General or Highway Commercial zones counts as fixed-roof overnight accommodation. Those zones list that use, not short-term rentals, and the by-law says it may include short-term house rentals. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
Where are Cumberland County's short-term rental rules written down?
In the County's general Land Use By-law: we found no separate short-term rental by-law in its by-law list. The per-lot limit is in Land Use By-law, s. 5.14 (Short-term Rentals), and each zone's list of permitted uses says where a rental may operate. Is a short-term rental allowed here? →
Does Parrsboro split short-term rentals into residential and commercial?
Not in its land-use rules: Parrsboro is a former town now under the County's Land Use By-law, which sets no residence test. The split is the Province's: it registers the home you live in and a commercial short-term rental in separate classes, and a personal vacation home kept mainly for your own use pays the lower traditional rate, not the commercial fee. Provincial registration →
Will Plan Cumberland's review change the short-term rental rules?
It could, but only once Council adopts the new planning strategy and Land Use By-law. Until then, the County says it assesses applications under the by-law in force when they're complete. What we haven't confirmed yet →
Does Cumberland County, NS charge a marketing levy?
We found none: no levy by-law appears in the County's by-law list (checked 28 Sep 2026). The towns of Amherst and Oxford, inside the county, decide their own. Marketing levy →Nearby and often confused →
Do I need a permit to run an Airbnb in Cumberland County?
We found no short-term rental licence, but the County's Land Use By-law requires a development permit for any change in the use of land or a building, and it treats a short-term rental as a use of its own. Ask Development and Planning whether renting the home you live in from time to time needs one. Municipal step →What we haven't confirmed yet →
Who to contact
Municipality of the County of Cumberland, Upper Nappan Service Centre, 902-667-2313, contact page
Development and Planning (Development Officer and Building Officials), Municipality of the County of Cumberland, 902-667-2313, contact page
Offices only; this page carries no personal names or e-mail addresses.