Connecticut Short-Term Rental Laws & Hotel Tax (2026)

State license required

No

Latest rule change

Oct 18, 2025

The laws in brief

Issued by

Connecticut Department of Revenue Services (tax registration); each town (zoning permit or license)

Valid for

Town permits set their own terms; a New Fairfield zoning permit is valid for 24 months.

On listings

No number needed on listings

Platform checks

Connecticut has no state permit number to show on a listing. Platforms that facilitate at least $250,000 of short-term rental sales a year must collect and remit the room occupancy tax on the rentals they handle.

Fees

Who qualifies

• No state eligibility test: the town's zoning decides which homes may be rented
• Stamford: in its seven lower-density residential zones the host must live in the home as a primary residence whenever guests stay
• New Fairfield: the owner must live on the property or an abutting property during every rental

How to apply

1. 1 Check the zoning regulations or short-term rental ordinance of the town where the home stands, and apply for any permit or license it requires.
2. 2 If you take bookings outside Airbnb or another platform that collects the tax, register for room occupancy tax through myconneCT, the state's online tax portal.
3. 3 File Form OP-210, the Room Occupancy Tax Return, electronically by the last day of the month after each filing period, even if no tax is due.

Permit rules

No statewide license; towns decide

Connecticut has no statewide short-term rental license or registry, so each municipality decides whether and how to regulate short-term rentals.⁸

Towns may require a license by ordinance

Since October 1, 2024, a town's legislative body may adopt an ordinance requiring a license for short-term rental properties and regulating how they operate (Public Act 24-143, section 7).^7,8,11 In force since October 1, 2024

Airbnb collects the state tax

Guests who book Airbnb listings in Connecticut pay the state room occupancy tax as part of the reservation; Airbnb collects and remits it for the host.^8,17 In force since October 1, 2019

Greenwich: zoning rule without a special permit

Greenwich regulates short-term rentals in its zoning regulations and does not require a special permit for them.¹² Applies to: Greenwich

New Fairfield: $500 zoning permit, valid 24 months

A New Fairfield short-term rental needs Zoning Commission site plan approval and a zoning permit valid for 24 months; the application includes an owner affidavit, a certificate of insurance and a $500 permit fee.⁴ Applies to: New Fairfield

Advertised price must be the total price

Since May 12, 2025 a federal rule requires any advertised price for a short-term rental to show the total price, including mandatory fees; taxes and other government charges may be shown separately.^6,15 In force since May 12, 2025

Zoning rule, ordinance or no rule

A town can regulate short-term rentals through its zoning regulations, through a licensing ordinance, or leave them unaddressed, so the answer depends on the town where the home stands.⁸

Court will not add a duration limit that zoning rules lack

In a 2024 case from the Pine Orchard district of Branford, the Connecticut Supreme Court affirmed that short-term rentals of a single-family home were permitted under the older zoning rules, because those rules did not clearly limit how long a home could be rented.^8,18 In force since July 2024

Stamford: host must live in the home in lower-density zones

In Stamford's RA-3, RA-2, RA-1, R-20, R-10, R-7½ and R-6 zones a short-term rental is allowed only when the operator lives in the property as a primary residence at all times guests are there; in other residential districts it is allowed.² Applies to: Stamford

Stamford: no accessory units or non-residential property

Accessory dwelling units cannot be used for short-term rental in Stamford, and short-term rentals are prohibited on any non-residential property.² Applies to: Stamford

Stamford: leases and private agreements still apply

Outside the lower-density zones Stamford permits short-term rentals unless a private agreement between the owner and the tenant prohibits them, so a lease or association rule can bar hosting.² Applies to: Stamford

Greenwich: lodging use only, no events

Greenwich allows short-term residential rentals (fewer than 30 consecutive nights) in its residential zones for lodging only; parties, receptions, weddings, filming, photo shoots, corporate retreats and fundraisers are prohibited.³ Applies to: Greenwich · In force since January 27, 2022

Greenwich: no accessory or below-market units

Greenwich prohibits short-term rental of accessory units and of below-market-rate dwelling units.³ Applies to: Greenwich · In force since January 27, 2022

New Fairfield: owner lives on or next to the property

In New Fairfield the owner must be living on and occupying a residence on the property, or on an abutting property, whenever there is a short-term rental occupancy.⁴ Applies to: New Fairfield

1. 1. Stamford

   Fairfield County

   Stamford permits short-term rentals in residential districts, but in its seven lower-density zones (RA-3, RA-2, RA-1, R-20, R-10, R-7½ and R-6) the operator must live in the home as a primary residence whenever guests are there. Its zoning defines a rental as 1 to 27 consecutive days and no more than 90 days a year, and limits short-term renters on the premises to two at a time.²

   • Lower-density zones: operator lives in the home as a primary residence during every stay
   • Stays of 1 to 27 consecutive days, no more than 90 days per calendar year
   • No more than two short-term renters on the premises at a time
   • Accessory dwelling units and non-residential property cannot be used

2. 2. Greenwich

   Fairfield County

   Greenwich defines a short-term residential rental as a stay of fewer than thirty consecutive nights and allows it in its residential zones, in dwelling units with a certificate of occupancy, for lodging only. Parties, weddings and similar events are prohibited, accessory units cannot be rented short-term, and the zoning rule creates no special permit requirement.^3,12

   • Fewer than 30 consecutive nights; only in areas covered by a dwelling-unit certificate of occupancy
   • Lodging use only: no parties, receptions, weddings, filming or fundraisers
   • Sleeping rooms need emergency escape and rescue openings
   • Accessory units and below-market-rate units cannot be rented short-term

3. 3. New Fairfield

   Fairfield County

   New Fairfield allows short-term rentals (stays of six days or less) by Zoning Commission site plan approval and a zoning permit valid for 24 months, which costs $500. The owner must live on the property or an abutting property whenever guests stay, and occupancy is capped at two people per bedroom.⁴

   • Zoning permit valid 24 months; $500 fee, with an owner affidavit and certificate of insurance
   • Site plan approval from the Zoning Commission
   • Owner lives on the property or an abutting property during every rental
   • Maximum two people per bedroom

4. 4. Norwalk

   Fairfield County

   Norwalk's zoning definitions and use table list no separate short-term rental use or license. They define a transient as a person staying fewer than 30 days and treat bed and breakfasts, inns and hotels as the lodging uses for such guests; the regulations were last revised effective July 10, 2026.^5,16

   • No short-term rental category in the zoning definitions or use table
   • A transient is a person staying fewer than 30 days
   • Bed and breakfasts (one to seven bedrooms of an owner-occupied building) are a lodging use
   • State room occupancy tax of 15% still applies

What the host still handles

• A room occupancy tax account with the Department of Revenue Services through myconneCT ($100 fee, none if already registered for sales and use taxes) for bookings taken outside Airbnb or another platform that collects the tax
• Form OP-210, the Room Occupancy Tax Return, filed and paid electronically, even when no tax is due
• Any permit or license the town requires (for example a New Fairfield zoning permit)^9,10,13,17

State tax covers stays up to 30 nights

The state room occupancy tax applies to the first 30 consecutive days of a stay; from the 31st consecutive day of occupancy by the same person the tax no longer applies.⁹

Direct bookings need a tax account

An operator that charges for occupancy of 30 consecutive days or less registers with the Department of Revenue Services for room occupancy tax; a host who rents only through platforms that collect the tax does not have to register.^9,10

Stamford: 90 days a year

Stamford's zoning defines a short-term rental transaction as a stay of 1 to 27 consecutive days and no more than 90 days per calendar year in total.² Applies to: Stamford

Stamford: two short-term renters at a time

Stamford's regulation limits short-term renters on the premises to two at any time, and they must be accommodated within the principal dwelling.² Applies to: Stamford

Greenwich: certificate of occupancy and escape openings

A Greenwich short-term rental is allowed only in parts of a building covered by a certificate of occupancy for a dwelling unit, and every sleeping room needs an emergency escape and rescue opening that meets the state building code.³ Applies to: Greenwich · In force since January 27, 2022

New Fairfield: two people per bedroom

Occupancy of a New Fairfield short-term rental is limited to two people per bedroom.⁴ Applies to: New Fairfield

New Fairfield: short-term means six days or less

New Fairfield's regulations define a short-term rental as a term of six days or less; a rental of seven days or longer is treated as a long-term rental.⁴ Applies to: New Fairfield · In force since October 18, 2025

• A person who ignores a town's order to stop a zoning violation within ten days, or keeps violating the regulation, faces a civil penalty of up to $2,500 payable to the town.¹
• Zoning violations are fined $10 to $100 for each day they continue, or $100 to $250 a day when the offense is willful.¹
• Paying room occupancy tax late draws a penalty of 15% of the tax due or $50, whichever is greater, plus interest of 1% a month.⁹

1. April 16, 2026 Lapsed
   State short-term rental registry bill stalls

   House Bill 5536 would have required hosts without a town license to register with the Department of Revenue Services by January 1, 2027, for a $100 fee, with penalties of up to $1,000 per violation, and would have let towns add a supplemental tax. The House tabled it for the calendar on April 16, 2026, its last recorded action, and it did not become law.^13,14

2. October 18, 2025
   New Fairfield issues its current zoning regulations

   New Fairfield's zoning regulations, which carry its short-term rental permit rules, are in the version effective October 18, 2025.⁴

3. May 12, 2025
   Federal total-price rule takes effect

   The FTC Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees began applying to short-term rentals, requiring advertised prices to include mandatory fees.¹⁵

4. October 1, 2024
   Towns may license short-term rentals by ordinance

   Public Act 24-143, section 7 took effect, authorizing a town to adopt an ordinance requiring a license for short-term rental properties and regulating their operation and use.^7,11

5. July 2024
   Connecticut Supreme Court rules on short-term rentals in Pine Orchard

   The Connecticut Supreme Court affirmed that a Branford homeowner's short-term rentals were a permitted use under the district's 1994 zoning rules, which did not clearly limit how long a home could be rented.^8,18

Estimate what a home could earn

1. 1. Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 124, Zoning (Sec. 8-12) · Connecticut General Assembly
2. 2. Zoning Regulations, Section 4: Use Regulations and Standards (as of May 31, 2026) · City of Stamford Zoning Board
3. 3. Building Zone Regulations amendment on short-term residential rental (effective January 27, 2022) · Town of Greenwich Planning and Zoning Commission
4. 4. Zoning Regulations (effective October 18, 2025) · Town of New Fairfield Zoning Commission
5. 5. Zoning Regulations, Article 9: Definitions · City of Norwalk Planning and Zoning
6. 6. 16 CFR Part 464 - Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees · Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
7. 7. Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 98, Municipal Powers (Sec. 7-148qq) · Connecticut General Assembly
8. 8. Short-Term Rental Regulation in Connecticut (October 2024 update) · Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments
9. 9. Room Occupancy Tax Information · Connecticut Department of Revenue Services
10. 10. Special Notice SN 2019(9): Room Occupancy Tax on Short-Term Rentals · Connecticut Department of Revenue Services
11. 11. Recent Connecticut Legislation on Short Term Rental Properties (2026-R-0025) · Connecticut General Assembly, Office of Legislative Research
12. 12. Municipal Regulation of Short-Term Rentals in Connecticut (2024-R-0044) · Connecticut General Assembly, Office of Legislative Research
13. 13. Substitute for Raised H.B. No. 5536, An Act Establishing a State Short-Term Rental Registry: bill status · Connecticut General Assembly
14. 14. OLR Bill Analysis for sHB 5536 (File No. 669) · Connecticut General Assembly, Office of Legislative Research
15. 15. The Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees: Frequently Asked Questions · Federal Trade Commission
16. 16. Zoning Regulations & Map · City of Norwalk
17. 17. Occupancy tax collection and remittance by Airbnb in Connecticut · Airbnb Help Center
18. 18. CT Supreme Court ruling makes AirBnB, VRBO rentals easier · CT Mirror