Airbnb and short-term rental rules in the Town of Shelburne, 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. Single-unit and general residential zones allow it as a home-based business, one unit if the owner lives elsewhere; Neighbourhood Commercial and Historic Waterfront allow more. All need a development permit.
Can I?
The home you live in (as Shelburne’s by-law defines it)In some zones
The Town of Shelburne, Nova Scotia, adopted a Land Use By-law on 18 Mar 2026 that names short-term rentals as visitor accommodations and allows them, by development permit, within limits set by the zone and by whether the owner lives in the home.
Land around the town is in the Municipality of the District of Shelburne, a separate municipality with its own land-use by-law and its own short-term rental process: check the District's requirements.
Only land inside the town boundary follows these rules; the land around it belongs to the District. A Shelburne mailing address alone doesn't place a property in the town.
Is a short-term rental allowed here?
Across the unit
The home you live in (as Shelburne’s by-law defines it)In some zonesAs a home-based business in the Residential Single Unit (R-1) and Residential General (R-2) zones: up to two units, within 25% of the home's gross floor area and at most 100 m² a lot. Up to four units in the Neighbourhood Commercial (C-2) zone, and up to ten rooms in the Historic Waterfront (H-W) zone.
A home you don’t live inIn some zonesIn the R-1 and R-2 zones, an owner who doesn't live in the dwelling may run one unit, and the floor-area limit doesn't apply. The C-2 zone allows up to four units and the H-W zone up to ten rooms, with no occupancy test stated. The Residential Apartment (R-3) zone excludes visitor accommodation.
“VISTOR ACCOMODATIONS mean Bed and breakfasts, hotels, motels and short term-rentals, for overnight accommodation for the travelling public ... 9.5.1. The following developments are permitted as-of-right by development permit in the R-1 Single Unit Residential and R-2 General Residential zone with the following permitted uses, limited to 25% of gross floor area of the primary residence and not in any case exceeding 100 m2 (1076 square feet) per lot: ... 9.5.1.5. Visitor Accommodations, up to 2 units ... 9.5.2.4. Be owned and operated by the occupant of the residence, except for Visitor Accommodations. 9.5.2.5. Visitor Accommodations may be operated by a non-occupant owner. Where the owner does not occupy the dwelling: 9.5.2.5.1. the use shall be limited to one (1) Visitor Accommodation unit; and 9.5.2.5.2. the floor area limitations set out in Section 9.5.1 shall not apply. ... 9.4.1.9. Visitor Accommodations, up to 4 units ... 9.10.1.8. Hotels and visitor accommodations up to 10 rooms ... 9.8.2.4. Permitted commercial uses in Neighbourhood Commercial C-2, except for visitor accommodation”
In plain words, the R-1 and R-2 zones treat a short-term rental as a home-based business, so the limit follows the owner: an owner who lives in the home stays within a share of its floor area, while one who lives elsewhere has no floor-area limit but only one unit.
A lot's zone is on the by-law's zoning map (Map 1). The General Commercial (C-1) and Rural Unserviced (R-U) zones don't name visitor accommodations and borrow other zones' uses only by cross-reference, so ask Town of Shelburne, Planning and Development (Director of Planning and Development), 902-319-0735, contact page before planning one in either zone. What we haven't confirmed yet →
Municipal step
Municipal step · Permit
Development Permit
Issued by
Development Officer, Town of Shelburne (Planning and Development)
Conditions
In the R-1 and R-2 zones (a home-based business): signs no larger than five square feet and not lit; at most one additional employee on site; at most two business vehicles parked at the home overnight
No temporary visitor accommodation: the by-law's allowance for short temporary uses without a permit doesn't extend to visitor accommodations
Fee
$50 application fee (one time)
Applies to
Both the home you live in and a home you don’t
Term
In force for one year from issue; it expires if the development hasn't started, and the Development Officer may extend it
The by-law counts a change in use as development, which needs a permit; the Town has no short-term rental or business licence by-law. Ask Town of Shelburne, Planning and Development (Director of Planning and Development), 902-319-0735, contact page which document it issues for provincial registration. Building work needs a building permit from the inspection department shared with the District and Lockeport, which asks for the development permit first.
Steps and costs
Check the zone of the lot and confirm the use with Town of Shelburne, Planning and Development (Director of Planning and Development), 902-319-0735, contact page.
Development Permit, from Development Officer, Town of Shelburne (Planning and Development). Details
Renew the Development Permit (In force for one year from issue; it expires if the development hasn't started, and the Development Officer may extend it).
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
$240 per unit a year
First year, municipal and provincial
$100
$290
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 Shelburne’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 Shelburne’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; $240 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's parking table asks for one vehicle space for each room of a visitor accommodation. In the Historic Waterfront zone that is replaced by accessible parking: one stall, or cash in lieu, for each property, or two stalls for visitor accommodations of five or more units.
The Town of Shelburne is in tier 3 of the Province's Schedule A. A commercial short-term rental (a home you don't live in) pays the tier 3 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 parking table counts rooms, not homes, and the Development Officer can vary the number required through the by-law's variance process. In the Historic Waterfront zone, the Development Officer may also ask the Heritage Advisory Committee to comment on any development permit application.
What we haven't confirmed yet
Ask the Town's Planning and Development office which document it issues for provincial registration: the development permit, or a zoning or comfort letter. The Town's Municipal User Fees Policy lists both, at $50 each. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
Ask the Town's Planning and Development office whether the General Commercial (C-1) and Rural Unserviced (R-U) zones allow visitor accommodations. Neither zone names them: C-1 lists commercial uses and the uses permitted in the R-2 zone, and R-U lists the C-2 zone's permitted commercial uses. The by-law's definition of a commercial use doesn't mention accommodation, while the R-3 zone's similar clause expressly excludes visitor accommodation. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
Ask the Town's Planning and Development office the date the current Land Use By-law took effect. Council gave it second reading on 18 Mar 2026, and the Town's notice of approval, posted 4 May 2026, gives no effective date. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
The Town, the Municipality of the District of Shelburne and the Town of Lockeport have a steering committee exploring amalgamation. CBC News reported in March 2026 that no decision had been made on applying to the Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board, and Town Council's minutes to 8 Sep 2026 record none. Each still has its own land-use by-law. (checked 28 Sep 2026 · source)
Is Shelburne's Zoning Letter Request Form used in the Town of Shelburne?
No: that form is the Municipality of the District of Shelburne's, for short-term rentals on the District's land. Inside the town, the municipal step is the Town's development permit; before registering with the Province, ask Town of Shelburne, Planning and Development (Director of Planning and Development), 902-319-0735, contact page which document it issues for provincial registration. Municipal step →
Are the Town and the District of Shelburne the same municipality?
No: they are separate municipalities, each with its own council, land-use by-law and planning office. The property tax bill names the municipality a property is in. Nearby and often confused →
Is the provincial registration fee lower in the Town of Shelburne than the District?
For a commercial short-term rental (a home you don't live in), yes: the Province's fee schedule puts the Town of Shelburne in tier 3, at $240 per unit a year, and the District around it in a higher-fee tier. The home you live in pays $50 a year, and a personal vacation home, kept mainly for your own use, pays the traditional rate of $50, or $150 with five or more bedrooms; neither fee varies by tier. Provincial registration →