Airbnb and short-term rental rules in the District of Guysborough, 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 permits short-term rentals, whole homes included, in four residential, rural and coastal zones, one per lot, with no residence test. Commercial zones list accommodations instead.
Can I?
The home you live in (as District of Guysborough’s by-law defines it)In some zones
Development permit: No fee published for a change of use on its own; permits for building work are $25 (non-refundable) plus a charge by floor area or construction value (one time)
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 Development permit fee has more than one amount
The Municipality of the District of Guysborough, Nova Scotia, treats a short-term rental, whole homes included, as a land use of its own: its Land Use By-law lists the zones that permit one, allows one short-term rental per lot and sets no test of who lives there. Is a short-term rental allowed here? →
Its rules cover communities such as Guysborough, Canso, Boylston, Larrys River and Goldboro, but not the Town of Mulgrave, a separate town with its own land-use by-law. Where this guide applies →
Where this guide applies
Community
What to check
Mulgrave
Straddles Town of Mulgrave
Which municipality a property is in depends on where its parcel (PID) sits, not on the community name or the mailing address. The property tax bill shows it; either office can confirm it.
Guysborough names both the village where the Municipal Office sits and the whole county. The county also holds the District of St. Mary's, to the west, a separate municipality with its own land-use by-law. Nearby and often confused →
Is a short-term rental allowed here?
Across the unit
The home you live in (as District of Guysborough’s by-law defines it)In some zonesNo residence test: renting the home you live in follows the same four zones and the one-per-lot limit as any other short-term rental. A bed and breakfast, a separate use with a resident owner or manager and at most eight sleeping units, is permitted in the same four zones.
A home you don’t live inIn some zonesPermitted in the Residential General (R-1), Residential Multiple Unit (R-2), Mixed Use Rural Residential General (MRR-1) and Coastal Community (CC-1) zones, one per lot. Not permitted in the Mobile Home Park (R-3) zone, and not listed in the commercial, industrial, recreation, natural resource or environment protected zones; the Commercial General (C-1) and Major Commercial (MC-1) zones list Accommodations instead.
One short-term rental per lot
“SHORT-TERM RENTAL means the use of a dwelling unit or part thereof for commercial overnight accommodations for consecutive periods of 30 days or less per party and may include the rental of the entire dwelling unit to one party or to multiple parties. [Part 5] 8.3.2 Subject to all other provisions of this Bylaw, on any parcel in the zones identified in the following table, the following uses shall be permitted: [row] Short-Term Rentals: R-1 ● (1 Unit or Less); R-2 ● (1 Unit or Less); R-3 [blank]; MRR-1 ● (1 Unit or Less); CC-1 ● (1 Unit or Less). 8.2.3 (a) A bullet "●" in a cell indicates a use is permitted in the associated Zone; ... (c) A blank cell indicates a use is prohibited in the associated Zone. 8.5.1 Only one short-term rental shall be permitted on a lot.”
The by-law's definition covers a dwelling unit, or part of one, used for commercial overnight stays, including the whole unit let to one party or several. It reaches slightly longer stays than the Province's definition.
With no residence test, the zone decides for the home you live in and a home you don't alike. The Municipality's zoning maps show a lot's zone, and Development Officer, Planning & Development, Municipality of the District of Guysborough, 902-533-3705 ext. 222, contact page can confirm it.
Municipal step
Municipal step · Permit
Development permit
Issued by
Development Officer, Municipality of the District of Guysborough
Fee
No fee published for a change of use on its own; permits for building work are $25 (non-refundable) plus a charge by floor area or construction value (one time)
Applies to
Both the home you live in and a home you don’t
Term
Expires 12 months after issue if the development hasn't started (s.2.4.3)
The by-law requires a development permit before any development, counts a change in the use of land or a building as development, and lists short-term rentals as a use apart from dwellings. When you call, ask too whether starting to rent an existing home needs that permit, and what it costs. What we haven't confirmed yet →
Steps and costs
Check the zone of the lot and confirm the use with Development Officer, Planning & Development, Municipality of the District of Guysborough, 902-533-3705 ext. 222, contact page.
Development permit, from Development Officer, Municipality of the District of Guysborough. Details
Renew the Development permit (Expires 12 months after issue if the development hasn't started (s.2.4.3)).
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
No fee published for a change of use on its own; permits for building work are $25 (non-refundable) plus a charge by floor area or construction value (one time)
No fee published for a change of use on its own; permits for building work are $25 (non-refundable) plus a charge by floor area or construction value (one time)
Provincial registration
$50 a year
$500 per unit a year
First year, municipal and provincial
No total: the Development permit fee has more than one amount
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 District of Guysborough’s by-laws or council notices (checked 28 Sep 2026).
Provincial registration
Register each unit with the Province before advertising it. The first application includes District of Guysborough’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 Municipality of the District of Guysborough 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 the Development Officer whether starting a short-term rental in an existing home, including the one you live in, is a change of use that needs a development permit, what that permit costs, and which document the Municipality issues as land-use proof for a first provincial registration. The by-law lists short-term rentals as a use apart from dwellings, and the Municipality sets its permit fees by type of building work. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
What the Land Use Planning Review that Council commissioned on 17 June 2026 will change for short-term rentals. The current by-law applies until Council adopts a replacement; ask the Development Officer about the review's drafts and timetable. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
The date the current Land Use By-law took effect. Its cover gives only the year, and the companion planning strategy records Council's readings in April and May 2022 but not the date the two took effect; ask the Development Officer for it. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
Email me when District of Guysborough’s rules change
Frequently asked questions
Does the District of Guysborough license short-term rentals separately?
No. None of the Municipality's listed by-laws is a short-term rental licence; its general Land Use By-law defines the use, lists the zones that permit it and allows one short-term rental per lot. That by-law also requires a development permit for a change of use, so ask the Development Officer whether starting to rent an existing home counts as one. Is a short-term rental allowed here? →Municipal step →
Which version of the Land Use By-law holds the short-term rental rules?
The 2022 Official Land Use Bylaw, the one the Municipality's by-laws page links. An earlier version, still posted on its news page about the planning update that produced the current one, doesn't mention short-term rentals. Council has since commissioned a new Land Use Planning Review, and the current by-law applies until Council adopts a replacement. What we haven't confirmed yet →
Who to contact
Municipality of the District of Guysborough, Municipal Office (Guysborough), 902-533-3705, contact page