Airbnb and short-term rental rules in Berwick, 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 one short-term rental per lot, as of right, in five residential and mixed-use zones, and doesn't require the operator to live there.
Can I?
The home you live in (as Berwick’s by-law defines it)In some zones
The Town of Berwick, Nova Scotia, treats short-term rental as a land use of its own: its Land Use Bylaw permits it in the zones it lists, one short-term rental per lot, with no condition that the operator live there. The zone of the lot is the first test, whether or not the home is the operator's own.
Berwick is a separate municipality from the Municipality of the County of Kings, which has its own guide. Land outside the Town is in a different municipality.
A mailing address doesn't show which municipality a property is in; the property tax bill does, and Planning & Development can confirm it.
Is a short-term rental allowed here?
Across the unit
The home you live in (as Berwick’s by-law defines it)In some zonesIn the Residential Restricted, Residential, Residential Mixed Density, Residential Growth and Gateway Mixed Use zones, one per lot
A home you don’t live inIn some zonesIn the same five zones, one per lot; the by-law sets no condition that the operator live there
one short-term rental per lot
“Part 13: "Short-Term Rental means the provision of roofed accommodations to a single party or group, for payment or compensation, for a period of 28 days or less." s.5.3.2 (Residential (R) Zone, Uses Permitted As-of-Right): "e. Short-term Rental". s.4.33.1: "Only one short-term rental shall be permitted on a lot."”
Where the Land Use Bylaw lists short-term rental, it is permitted as of right: no council hearing or development agreement, though a permit can still be required (Municipal step). With no residency test in the by-law, the same zones are open to a home the operator lives in and to one they don't.
The per-lot limit means a lot with a house and a second dwelling can have only one of them rented short-term. The commercial zones allow hotels, motels, tourist establishments and inns but don't list short-term rentals. To find a lot's zone, ask Town of Berwick, Planning & Development, 902-698-7526, contact page.
Municipal step
Ask Town of Berwick, Planning & Development, 902-698-7526, contact page which document it issues for provincial registration.
No separate municipal licence (checked 28 Sep 2026)
The Land Use Bylaw's general rule is that no land or building is used without a development permit unless the by-law exempts the use, and it names no exemption for short-term rentals. The Town's published fee schedule lists both a development permit for a change of use and a zoning confirmation letter.
Steps and costs
Check the zone of the lot and confirm the use with Town of Berwick, Planning & Development, 902-698-7526, contact page.
Ask Town of Berwick, Planning & Development, 902-698-7526, contact page which document it issues for provincial registration.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)
Under review
isn’t published
isn’t published
Provincial registration
$50 a year
$500 per unit a year
First year, municipal and provincial
No total: the Under review fee 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
Proposed
No marketing levy applies in Berwick today (as of 28 Sep 2026). The Valley Regional Enterprise Network has explored a regional marketing levy with Annapolis Valley municipalities, Berwick among them, to fund a regional tourism organization. Each council decides whether to adopt one. A proposed rate is never shown as applying.
Provincial registration
Register each unit with the Province before advertising it. The first application includes Berwick’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 Town of Berwick 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
When the Land Use Bylaw now in use took effect. Council adopted it, and it takes effect on the date a notice of it is published. Ask the Town's Planning & Development office for that date. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
Which document the Town issues as proof of land-use compliance for a provincial short-term rental registration: a development permit, a zoning confirmation letter, or both, and its fee. Ask Planning & Development before applying to the Province. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
Whether the lot's one short-term rental may be in an accessory dwelling unit. Ask Planning & Development before relying on it. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
Does Berwick, NS have its own short-term rental rules?
Yes. Berwick's Land Use Bylaw defines short-term rental as a use of its own, separate from hotels and motels, and permits it as of right in the zones that list it, with a limit per lot. Is a short-term rental allowed here? →
Do I need a permit to run an Airbnb in Berwick?
Berwick's Land Use Bylaw requires a development permit to use land or a building unless it exempts the use, and it names no exemption for short-term rentals. Ask Town of Berwick, Planning & Development, 902-698-7526, contact page which document the Town issues for provincial registration. Municipal step →Provincial registration →