Asked the City Manager to refer the attached short-term rental draft ordinance to the City Solicitor, Inspectional …

How it started

Proposed by Councillors Kelley and McGovern and Vice Mayor Devereux — a formal request from the Council to the administration.

What happened

✅ Order adopted — the Council's request now goes to the City Manager. (Sep 26, 2016)

Present and voting at this meeting (9)

Craig A. Kelley
David Maher
Dennis Carlone
E. Denise Simmons
Jan Devereux
Leland Cheung
Marc McGovern
Nadeem Mazen
Timothy J. Toomey

Adopted by voice vote. A voice vote records the outcome, not individual positions — no member's yes or no is on the record (though a member can ask to be recorded in the negative in the minutes). Showing the members who cast recorded votes at this meeting. Rule 6 requires a roll call for spending over $50 or on any member's request; state law requires one for every vote when a member participates remotely. · photos: City of Cambridge

What’s next

⌛ Waiting on the answer — the administration has not yet reported back.

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The document Agenda item attachment · 1 page

🏛 View city website 📄 Download original PDF

This Chapter may be cited as the Short-Term Rental Ordinance of the City of Cambridge. 4.30.020—Statement of Purpose The purpose of this ordinance shall be to make the operation of short-term rentals legal for Cambridge residents, protect the safety of renters, owners, visitors, and neighbors, and ensure that short-term rentals will not be a detriment to the character and livability of the surrounding residential neighborhood. 4.30.030—Definitions (1) Short-term rental. Any rental stipulated to be less than 30 consecutive days.

(2) Owner-occupied unit. Any dwelling unit with short-term rentals that is also the primary dwelling unit for its owner, or occupied by the primary lease-holder.

(3) Owner-adjacent unit. Any dwelling unit in a residential building with four or fewer total units where all units are owned by the same person or entity, and one of the four units is used as the owner’s primary place of residence. 4.30.040—Requirements

Short-term rentals are permitted in all districts where residential use is permitted subject to the following limitations: (1) All short-term rentals are either in owner-occupied units or owner-adjacent units. (2) All short-term rental operators are registered with Inspectional Service Department prior to use and occupancy.

(3) If the short-term rental is to occur in an owner-adjacent unit, that unit must have been inspected for fire safety, building code violations, and sanitation within 6 months of its registration in order to be rented. (4) Compliance with codes shall be posted at the main entrance to the unit. (5) The proprietor of a short-term rental operates no more than one (1) owner-occupied unit and one (1) owner-adjacent unit.

(6) Short-term rentals may be subject to fees and or taxes as promulgated by the City and or State authorities Owner-adjacent units can be rented out only as a whole unit. The number of short-term rentals in an owner-occupied unit shall be limited by the number of bedrooms in the unit, not by the number of unrelated residents.

4.30.050—Penalty To be designated during Ordinance Committee hearing 4.30.060—Enforcement To be designated during Ordinance Committee hearing 4.30.061—Registration Shall be per regulation to be promulgated by Inspectional Services Department and updated as appropriate