Airbnb and short-term rental rules in Yarmouth, 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. As of right only where the operator's primary residence is on the same lot, in zones that permit a dwelling; a non-resident whole-home rental needs a Development Agreement.
Can I?
The home you live in (as Yarmouth’s by-law defines it)In some zones
The Town of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, permits a short-term rental as of right only where the operator's primary residence is on the same lot, and it charges guests a 3% marketing levy on accommodation.
The Town is its own municipality. The Municipality of the District of Yarmouth around it has its own by-laws, office and levy. Nearby and often confused →
Is a short-term rental allowed here?
Across the unit
The home you live in (as Yarmouth’s by-law defines it)In some zonesAllowed as of right, one per lot, in all residential, mixed-use and commercial zones where a dwelling is permitted, as long as the operator's primary residence is on the same lot.
A home you don’t live inOnly with approvalA whole home whose operator does not live on the lot needs a Development Agreement approved by Council under MPS Policy 4.29.
one short-term rental per lot as of right (s.5.61(1)(b)); more only by Development Agreement (s.5.61(3))
“5.61 Short-term Rentals (1) A Short-term Rental shall be permitted in all residential, mixed use, and commercial zones where a dwelling is a permitted use provided that; a) The primary residence of the short-term rental operator is located on the same lot; and, b) Only one Short-term Rental shall be permitted on a lot. (2) Notwithstanding subsection 5.61.1 (a), a short-term rental where the operator does not reside on the property may be permitted by Development Agreement subject to Policy 4.29 of the Municipal Planning Strategy. (3) Notwithstanding subsection 5.61.1 (b) more than one short-term rental on a lot may be permitted by Development Agreement subject to Policy 4.29 of the Municipal Planning Strategy.”
The as-of-right test turns on where the operator lives. The by-law defines a primary residence as the dwelling where the occupant usually lives: the address given for identification, bills and tax documents. Zones that don't permit a dwelling are outside the rule.
A whole home whose operator lives elsewhere goes to Town Council as a Development Agreement, weighed against long-term rental supply, parking, safety and local management. The by-law names no permit for the as-of-right use; ask Town of Yarmouth, Town Hall, 902-742-2521, contact page whether one is needed before you start.
Municipal step
Ask Town of Yarmouth, Town Hall, 902-742-2521, contact page which document it issues for provincial registration.
No separate municipal licence (checked 28 Sep 2026)
We found no short-term rental licence among the Town's by-laws. Its Marketing Levy By-law does have every operator of accommodation apply for a Town registration certificate. That certificate is for the levy, not a land-use approval, and it doesn't replace provincial registration.
Steps and costs
Check the zone of the lot and confirm the use with Town of Yarmouth, Town Hall, 902-742-2521, contact page.
Register for the marketing levy and remit it on the bookings you collect it on. 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)
Provincial registration
$50 a year
$500 per unit a year
First year, municipal and provincial
$50
$500
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
In force
The Town of Yarmouth charges a 3% marketing levy on the Purchase Price of the Accommodation for stays of thirty consecutive days or less, inclusive of optional and service fees and excluding GST/HST, in force since Ask the Town of Yarmouth's office from which date the Marketing Levy was collected; the by-law and the Town's levy page give different dates. under null.
Who collects it
Airbnb’s tax page doesn’t list Yarmouth (checked 28 Sep 2026). Unless your payout shows Airbnb collecting it, you add and remit it.
Vrbo’s tax page doesn’t list Yarmouth (checked 28 Sep 2026). Unless your payout shows Vrbo collecting it, you add and remit it.
Booking.com’s tax page doesn’t list Yarmouth (checked 28 Sep 2026). Unless your payout shows Booking.com collecting it, you add and remit it.
On direct bookings, you add it to the guest’s bill and remit it (as of 28 Sep 2026)
Charged to guests, not an owner cost
The levy and HST (14%) are added to the guest’s bill. HST is charged on the levy as well as on the room: a municipal levy is part of the price HST applies to, and no Nova Scotia marketing levy is on the federal list of levies left out of that price. The levy is separate from HST, which is a federal and provincial sales tax.
The Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association (ORHMA) administers collection and reporting for the Town. The proceeds fund the Yarmouth & Acadian Shores Tourism Association. Check the Town's levy page for how returns are filed.
The by-law charges the levy on the accommodation's purchase price, which includes optional and service fees. Ask Town of Yarmouth, Town Hall, 902-742-2521, contact page whether a cleaning fee counts.
Provincial registration
Register each unit with the Province before advertising it. The first application includes Yarmouth’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.
Town of Yarmouth 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
Ask the Town whether a development or change-of-use permit is needed to start an as-of-right short-term rental; the by-law's rental clause names none. (checked 6 Oct 2026 · source)
Ask the Town whether the two heritage residential zones and the two unmarked commercial zones permit short-term rentals; the rental clause reaches them but the use tables leave them blank. (checked 6 Oct 2026 · source)
Ask the Town from which date the Marketing Levy was collected; the by-law and the Town's levy page give different dates. (checked 6 Oct 2026 · source)
The Municipality of the District of Yarmouth, around the Town, is a separate municipality with its own by-laws, office and levy: check the District's requirements.
Yes, where the operator's primary residence is on the same lot: the Town's Land Use By-law permits a short-term rental as of right in the residential, mixed-use and commercial zones that permit a dwelling, one rental per lot. Is a short-term rental allowed here? →
Can I Airbnb my cottage in Yarmouth if I don't live there?
Not as of right: a rental whose operator doesn't live on the lot needs a Development Agreement, which Town Council considers case by case under its Municipal Planning Strategy. The Province's personal vacation home category sets a provincial fee and doesn't change the Town's land-use test. Is a short-term rental allowed here? →What it costs →
Do I need a licence or permit for an Airbnb in Yarmouth?
We found no short-term rental licence among the Town's by-laws, but its Marketing Levy By-law has every operator of accommodation apply for a Town registration certificate. For the land-use document the Province asks for with a first registration, ask Town of Yarmouth, Town Hall, 902-742-2521, contact page which one it issues. Municipal step →
Who collects the levy on an Airbnb booking in Yarmouth?
The operator, unless the payout shows Airbnb collecting it: the Town's Marketing Levy By-law has operators collect the levy from the guest at the time of sale and remit it to the Town. Without that line in your payout, add the levy to the guest's bill and remit it yourself. Marketing levy →