Airbnb and short-term rental rules in St. Mary's, Nova Scotia

At a glance

It depends on the zone, and the zone is only the first test. The by-law permits short-term rentals, rented to one party at a time, in every zone that permits a single-unit dwelling, with no test of who lives there.

Can I?

• The home you live in (as St. Mary's’s by-law defines it) In some zones
• A home you don’t live in In some zones

Land use →

What do I need?

• Municipal step: Development Permit
• then register with the Province

Municipal step →

What does it cost?

• Development Permit: isn’t 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 Development Permit fee isn’t published

Costs →

Who collects what?

• No marketing levy (as of 28 Sep 2026)

Marketing levy →

Checked 27 Sep 2026 against 6 sources (5 official) · Changed 30 Sep 2026 · Next check 1 Oct 2026 · How we check →

General information, not advice. How to confirm →

The Municipality of the District of St. Mary's, Nova Scotia, says in its planning strategy that Council supports short-term rentals, and its Land Use By-law follows through with no test of who lives in the home. Starting a rental can still take a development permit. Municipal step →

Sherbrooke, Goldenville, Port Bickerton, Liscomb and Wine Harbour are among the communities these rules cover; each neighbouring municipality sets its own. Nearby and often confused →

Where this guide applies

Every community in St. Mary's →

St. Mary's shares Guysborough County with the District of Guysborough, a separate municipality. A property tax bill names the municipality a property is in. Nearby and often confused →

Is a short-term rental allowed here?

In plain words, a house or cottage rented to one group at a time is a short-term rental, and the by-law permits it in every zone where it permits a single-unit dwelling.

Renting rooms to several parties at once falls outside that definition. A bed and breakfast, run by an owner or manager who lives there and serves a meal, is a home-based business with its own rules. Inns are listed only in the Mixed Use and General Commercial zones. For a lot's zone, ask Planning Department (Development Officer), shared with the Municipality of the District of Guysborough, (902) 533-3705 ext. 222, contact page.

Municipal step

The permit is how the Development Officer confirms that a use fits its zone. The by-law requires one before anyone uses a building or changes its use, and treats a short-term rental as a use apart from a dwelling. Ask the Planning Department whether renting an existing home with no building work needs one. What we haven't confirmed yet →

Steps and costs

1. Check the zone of the lot and confirm the use with Planning Department (Development Officer), shared with the Municipality of the District of Guysborough, (902) 533-3705 ext. 222, contact page.
2. Development Permit, from Development Officer, Planning Department (shared by the Municipality of the District of Guysborough and the Municipality of the District of St. Mary's). Details
3. Renew the Development Permit (Expires after one year if the use has not started; renewable once, for one more year, on written request).

Then register each unit with the Province and show the number on every listing. The provincial checklist →

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

Until a levy by-law is adopted, a host has nothing to register for or remit to the Municipality, and a guest's bill carries no municipal charge. A by-law would set the rate, the start date and who remits it: a booking platform, or the host.

Provincial registration

Other local rules

What we haven't confirmed yet

• Ask the Planning Department whether renting out an existing home, with no building work, needs a development permit, and what that permit costs. The by-law requires a permit before a building is used or its use changes, and treats a short-term rental as a use apart from a dwelling; the permit fees the Municipality lists are for construction. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
• Ask the Planning Department which document it issues for provincial registration: the development permit, or a separate letter. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
• Ask the Planning Department when the Land Use By-law took effect. It takes effect when notice of the Minister's approval is published in a newspaper, and its title page gives the adoption date but leaves the effective date blank. The Municipality applies it, and Council has since amended its zoning map. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)

Nearby and often confused

• Municipality of the District of Guysborough
• Halifax Regional Municipality
• Municipality of the County of Antigonish
• Municipality of the County of Pictou

• The District of Guysborough has its own Land Use By-law, though the two municipalities share a Planning Department: District of Guysborough guide.
• Sheet Harbour, to the west, is in Halifax Regional Municipality, which sets its own short-term rental rules: HRM guide.
• Antigonish County shares part of the northern boundary and has its own land-use rules: Antigonish County guide.
• Pictou County, across the county line, has its own land-use rules too: Pictou County guide.