Municipal Compliance for Short-Term Rentals
As part of the Provincial licensing requirement for short-term rentals, registration requirements will include a confirmation of municipal land use compliance. The Municipality does not have zoning regulations throughout the entire municipality. In areas where there are no zoning regulations, a zoning letter can be provided. In areas with Land Use regulations, a Development Permit will be required to ensure compliance.
In reviewing land use compliance, the Municipality will confirm compliance with other municipal regulations, including the building code.
An application form is required with the appropriate fee. Please print and complete the form linked below, and return it (with the fee noted on the form), to the Municipal Services Building.
pdf Short-Term Rental Confirmation Request (133 KB)
We recognize that the Province has implemented a tight timeline for license renewal. Compliance letters or permits will be processed within 14 days. We appreciate your patience while we work through this process.
3% Marketing Levy
In November of 2023, the Municipality announced that WE would be introducing a new marketing levy fee to be collected by Short-Term rental accommodation owners and remitted to the Municipality. Want to learn more? Visit our project page.
Short-term rentals (including AirBnB or VRBO rentals) are growing in popularity. If you own or are considering operating a short-term rental, there are some things you need to know.
- Any building that is to be used for sleeping accommodation is required to have a valid building permit prior to beginning construction. This includes any work to change the use of a storage building to sleeping accommodation.
- A valid occupancy permit is required prior to using the space.
- Your insurance company may require a copy of your occupancy permit–please keep a copy of this document.
- The Province of Nova Scotia requires all short-term rental operators to register with the Province. Part of their requirements is a valid civic number assigned to the building and a zoning confirmation that indicates that the short-term rental complies with all land use bylaws. These are obtained through the Municipality.
Our office is happy to help walk you through the process to apply for the permit, zoning confirmation and/or civic number. Please contact our office in person at 10 Allée Champlain Drive, by phone at 902-541-1325 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..