Airbnb and short-term rental rules in Annapolis Royal, 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
Mainly in the home you live in. Renting rooms in a home its owner lives in is permitted in three residential zones, not the whole home. Hotels, motels and commercial accommodations are commercial-zone uses.
Can I?
The home you live in (as Annapolis Royal’s by-law defines it)In some zones
The Town of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, defines a short-term rental in its Land Use By-law as renting rooms in a home the owner lives in full time, not the entire dwelling. That use is permitted in some residential zones, and starting it takes a Development Permit from the Town's Development Officer.
The Town is its own municipality, separate from the Municipality of the County of Annapolis around it, and the County's by-laws apply on the County's side of the line. Nearby and often confused →
Is a short-term rental allowed here?
Across the unit
The home you live in (as Annapolis Royal’s by-law defines it)In some zonesRooms only, for stays of 30 days or less, while the owner lives in the home full time; a listed use in the Residential Single Unit, Residential Mixed Use and Residential Prince William zones. In Residential Prince William, all development is considered by development agreement.
A home you don’t live inOnly with approvalNot a listed use in any residential zone. Existing bed and breakfasts, inns and historic vacation suites continue; new ones in the Residential Single Unit zone are considered by development agreement. The Commercial General and Commercial Highway zones list hotels, motels and commercial accommodations.
“SHORT TERM RENTAL means the rental of a room or rooms for overnight accommodation in an owner-occupied dwelling for a period of 30 days or less, excluding the rental of the entire dwelling. For the purposes of this part, an owner-occupied dwelling means the primary residence lived in by the owner on a regular full-time basis.”
In plain words, the by-law's short-term rental keeps the owner at home: guests rent rooms while the owner lives there full time, and renting the whole dwelling is excluded from that use. The zone of the lot decides whether even that use is listed.
For a whole home, the by-law's routes aren't ordinary residential uses. A development agreement is an agreement with the Town, and the applicant deposits the estimated advertising and processing costs, and the hotel, motel and commercial-accommodation use belongs to commercial land. Ask the Development Officer how a proposal would be classified before applying: Planning Services (Development Officer), Town of Annapolis Royal, 902-532-2043, contact page.
Municipal step
Municipal step · Permit
Development Permit
Issued by
Development Officer, Planning Services, Town of Annapolis Royal
We found no short-term rental licence among the Town's by-laws. The Land Use By-law instead requires a development permit before the use of a building or land changes, and lists short-term rental accommodation as a use of its own. The permit is a land-use approval, not a business licence, and doesn't replace provincial registration.
Steps and costs
Check the zone of the lot and confirm the use with Planning Services (Development Officer), Town of Annapolis Royal, 902-532-2043, contact page.
Development Permit, from Development Officer, Planning Services, Town of Annapolis Royal. 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
$50 application fee (one time)
$50 application fee (one time)
Provincial registration
$50 a year
$500 per unit a year
First year, municipal and provincial
$100
$550
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 Annapolis Royal’s by-laws or council notices (checked 28 Sep 2026).
The marketing levy that searches turn up for Annapolis Royal belongs to the Municipality of the County of Annapolis, a separate municipality with its own council and by-laws. For its rate and rules, check Annapolis County's requirements.
A mailing address doesn't settle which municipality a property is in; the property tax bill names it. The County's move to discuss a levy with the Town is one of the open items.
Provincial registration
Register each unit with the Province before advertising it. The first application includes Annapolis Royal’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 Land Use By-law prohibits signage relating to short-term rentals. Existing inns and bed and breakfasts are separate uses with their own business-sign allowance.
The Town of Annapolis Royal 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
The ban sits in the by-law's sign rules and covers signs relating to the short-term rental use. Existing inns and bed and breakfasts are separate uses, and the by-law gives them their own business-sign allowance.
What we haven't confirmed yet
Ask Planning Services how a paid booking of a whole home is classified. The by-law's short-term rental excludes renting the entire dwelling, and its separate shared accommodation use covers stays given without direct commercial compensation. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
Ask Planning Services which document the Town issues for provincial registration: the development permit or a zoning confirmation letter. The Town's fee policy lists both. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
Ask Planning Services whether starting a short-term rental in the Residential Prince William zone needs a development agreement. The by-law says all development in that zone is considered by development agreement. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
Ask Planning Services how long a development permit takes to issue. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
Ask Town Hall whether a marketing levy is planned. The County of Annapolis's council has asked its staff to open levy discussions with the Town. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
Granville Ferry and the countryside around the town are in Annapolis County, a separate municipality with its own by-laws: check Annapolis County's requirements.
Do I have to live on-site to run a short-term rental in Annapolis Royal?
For the use the Town's Land Use By-law calls a short-term rental, yes: guests rent rooms in a home the owner lives in full time, and renting the entire dwelling is excluded. That use is listed only in some residential zones. Is a short-term rental allowed here? →
Can a home the owner doesn't live in be an Airbnb in Annapolis Royal?
Not as the by-law's short-term rental, and no residential zone lists renting a whole home as a use. The by-law's other routes are a new bed and breakfast, inn or historic vacation suite in the Residential Single Unit zone by development agreement, or a hotel, motel or commercial accommodation in a commercial zone. Is a short-term rental allowed here? →
Does the Annapolis County marketing levy apply in Annapolis Royal?
We found no marketing levy that applies in the Town (checked 28 Sep 2026). The levy that searches turn up is the Municipality of the County of Annapolis's, a separate municipality, so it matters which of the two a property is in. Marketing levy →