Airbnb and short-term rental rules in Mahone Bay, 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. Ask the Town of Mahone Bay's development office which Land Use By-law text applies to short-term rentals in the Commercial Core and Commercial General zones.
Can I?
The home you live in (as Mahone Bay’s by-law defines it)In some zones
A home you don’t live inAsk the Town of Mahone Bay's development office whether short-term rentals are permitted in the Commercial Core and Commercial General zones.
A suite or second unit on the lot you live onAsk the Town of Mahone Bay's development office whether a suite or second unit on the lot you live on can be rented short-term.
The Town of Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, requires a Development Permit for every short-term rental and, in the four residential zones that permit one, proof to the Development Officer that the home is the occupier's primary residence.
A Mahone Bay mailing address can sit outside the town boundary, where a neighbouring municipality's rules apply instead. Nearby and often confused →
Is a short-term rental allowed here?
Across the unit
The home you live in (as Mahone Bay’s by-law defines it)In some zonesIn the Residential Core, Residential General, Residential Multi-unit and Residential Unserviced zones, with a development permit and proof of primary residency to the Development Officer
A home you don’t live inAsk the Town of Mahone Bay's development office whether short-term rentals are permitted in the Commercial Core and Commercial General zones.
A suite or second unit on the lot you live onAsk the Town of Mahone Bay's development office whether a suite or second unit on the lot you live on can be rented short-term.
One short-term rental per lot in the four residential zones
“Short-term rentals shall only be permitted where proof of primary residency is provided to the Development Officer. Where there is more than one (1) dwelling on a lot, per Clause 5.45.2(e), the occupier of each dwelling unit shall be required to provide proof of primary residency.”
In the four residential zones that permit a short-term rental, the by-law bars one in an accessory dwelling, such as a basement or garden suite. Where a lot there has two or more units, the occupier of each unit must prove it is their primary residence.
Municipal step
Municipal step · Permit
Development Permit
Issued by
Development Officer (Development Services, provided to the Town under contract by the Municipality of the District of Chester)
Conditions
Proof of primary residency to the Development Officer (in the four residential zones)
No signage for the short-term rental (in the four residential zones)
Fee
$30 (basic Development Permit fee); $50 where the construction value is over $1,000 (one time)
The permit is issued under Mahone Bay's own Land Use Bylaw, though the District of Chester runs the Town's planning services under contract; Chester's licence rules don't apply here. Ask Development and Planning Services for the Town of Mahone Bay (provided under contract by the Municipality of the District of Chester), 902-275-2599, contact page whether the permit also serves as the land-use document for provincial registration, and what the Development Officer accepts as proof of residency.
Steps and costs
Check the zone of the lot and confirm the use with Development and Planning Services for the Town of Mahone Bay (provided under contract by the Municipality of the District of Chester), 902-275-2599, contact page.
Development Permit, from Development Officer (Development Services, provided to the Town under contract by the Municipality of the District of Chester). 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
$30 (basic Development Permit fee); $50 where the construction value is over $1,000 (one time)
$30 (basic Development Permit fee); $50 where the construction value is over $1,000 (one time)
Provincial registration
$50 a year
$500 per unit a year
First year, municipal and provincial
$80
$530
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 Mahone Bay’s by-laws or council notices (checked 28 Sep 2026).
The Town's business plan lists considering a marketing levy as a priority action, and council's Policy and Strategy Committee lists it among its outstanding items. No levy by-law, rate or start date has been adopted. (as of 28 Sep 2026) If council adopts a levy, this section will show its rate, its start date and who collects it on each platform.
Provincial registration
Register each unit with the Province before advertising it. The first application includes Mahone Bay’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.
Whether a home you don't live in, or a suite or second unit on the lot you live on, can be rented short-term in the Commercial Core and Commercial General zones. Ask the Town's development office which Land Use By-law text applies before relying on it. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
A property outside the town, even with a Mahone Bay address, may fall under the District of Lunenburg's rules: District of Lunenburg.
The District of Chester, a separate municipality, has its own short-term rental licence, though its office handles Mahone Bay permits: District of Chester.
Renting the home you live in, or a property in a zone that allows it? Talk to us.
Casa Scotia manages short-term rentals within ~90 minutes of Halifax, including Mahone Bay.
What zone does an as-of-right short-term rental need in Mahone Bay?
The Town's Land Use Bylaw lists a short-term rental as a permitted use in the Residential Core, Residential General, Residential Multi-unit and Residential Unserviced zones, where the occupier must prove primary residency to the Development Officer. For the Commercial Core and Commercial General zones, ask the Town's development office whether short-term rentals are permitted there. Is a short-term rental allowed here? →
What does land-use compliance involve for an Airbnb in Mahone Bay?
Every short-term rental needs a Development Permit under the Town's Land Use Bylaw, and we found no separate short-term rental licence. Ask the Development Officer whether that permit is also the land-use document the Province needs with a new registration. Municipal step →
Development and Planning Services for the Town of Mahone Bay (provided under contract by the Municipality of the District of Chester), 902-275-2599, contact page
Offices only; this page carries no personal names or e-mail addresses.