Short-Term Rentals | City of Hamilton

In January 2023, Hamilton City Council approved an STR (Short-Term Rental) licensing program for operators and brokers within Hamilton.

What is a Short-Term Rental?

A Short-Term Rental is described as all or part of a dwelling unit used to provide sleeping accommodations to the travelling public for any rental period that is less than 28 consecutive days in exchange for payment or other remuneration.

The program is designed to regulate both brokers and operators; and to ensure all Short-Term Rentals are operated safely and in compliance with municipal by-laws. The program also protects the City of Hamilton’s housing supply by allowing Short-Term Rentals only in a licensed operator’s principal residence.

NOTE: An operator is described as the STR host and a broker is the online platform (AirBnB, Vrbo, etc.)

How much did the pilot program cost Hamilton taxpayers? Licence fees are to reflect Full Cost Recovery based on the assumption that approximately 1,250 STR units are licensed annually. Should the program achieve the projected licence numbers, there is no cost to taxpayers.

Why only Principal Residence Units?

The principal residence unit refers to an individual dwelling unit on any given property; it is where one makes their home and conducts their daily affairs. This limits operators to a single STR licence that must be within their principal residence (dwelling unit), prohibiting commercial or multi-listing operators.

The objective of this requirement is to improve neighbourhood fit by ensuring personal accountability for the dwelling unit being used, and to protect the long-term rental housing market by prohibiting STR that would be considered as a commercial investment property.

What does an operator need to provide?

Frequently Asked Questions

From a Licensing perspective, operators must provide:

contact information (including name and address)
information about their short-term rental, including the number of off-street parking spaces available for the STR
a declaration of dwelling as principal residence
emergency contact information (must be available 24/7)
confirmation of adequate insurance coverage

From a Building and Fire Safety perspective, operators must have:

a fire escape plan
smoke alarms
carbon monoxide alarms
a zoning verification for secondary dwelling units

Operators may be subject to random audits and inspections to ensure compliance.

Download OFMEM Guideline for Maintenance of Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms(PDF, 386.68 KB)

Download the Short-Term Rental Dwelling Operator Self-Certification Checklist(PDF, 134.41 KB)

The difference between requiring a STR licence and a Rental Housing Licence can depend on several factors, the main one being temporary accommodation versus long-term accommodation. Learn more about the City’s Rental Housing Licence Program.

The maximum limit for overnight guests is two (2) persons per sleeping room. Children that are two (2) years old or younger are exempt.

The By-law does not apply to:

(a) a hotel, motel, inn, resort, or bed and breakfast as defined and regulated by the Ontario Building Code and/or Zoning By-law;

(b) a residence operated by a post-secondary institution;

(c) an accommodation rented out to tenants in accordance with the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, C. 17.

(d) a home for special care operated under the authority of a licence issued under the Homes for Special Care Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. H. 12;

(e) a long-term care home operated under the authority of a licence issued under the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007, S.O. 2007, c.8;

(f) a retirement home operated under the authority of a licence issued under the Retirement Homes Act, 2010, S.O. 2010, c. 11; or

(g) a boarding, lodging or rooming house, as defined in the Building Code and/or Zoning By-law

Yes, with the owner’s permission, the tenant of a rental unit is eligible to apply for a STR Operator licence. All other information, as stated, would be required to proceed with the issuing of the licence.

A STR can only be located within a principal residence. A principal residence will not be subject to the VUT, but submission of a mandatory declaration is still required. However, there may be situations where it may apply.

Learn more about the City's Vacant Unit Tax.

An STR can only be within a principal residence. A building occupied by an owner would not be considered a Vacant Building under the Vacant Building Registry By-law.

Learn more about the City's Vacant Building Registry

Site plan is not required upon initial application. If for some reason Site Plan consultation is required, a Licensing Administrator will direct you to the appropriate contact.

Upon submission of payment and a complete application, Hamilton Fire will review the application and its contents for compliance with the Fire Protection and Prevention Act and Ontario Fire Code and a Property Standards inspection will be completed by a Licensing Compliance Officer.

Yes. Proof of Insurance is required for the applicable use, with Host Liability or Commercial General Liability not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence.

Fines and penalties can vary based on the offence and or/number of offences. Ongoing non-compliance may result in refusal of licence application, and/or conditions, suspension or revocation of the licence.

Under the Licensing By-law 07-170, licences are non-transferable, and pro-rated licence fee refunds are not permitted.

No. However the Guest Information Package must contain instructions for solid waste disposal, including information on the applicable waste collection day and instruction for composting and recycling.

Apply for Short-Term Rental Licence

If this is your first time applying online with the City of Hamilton, you’ll need to complete two simple steps.

Step 1: Create a City of Hamilton Account (my.hamilton.ca)

You will need to create an account at my.hamilton.ca/

This is the City’s centralized access point that allows you to easily view, access, and submit a wide range of City services using one account.
Once your City account is created, you can sign in anytime to manage your services online.

Step 2: Access the Customer Portal

After signing into my.hamilton.ca/, select the Business Related Services category to create your Customer Portal account to complete the setup.
Once you are setup on the Customer Portal, navigate to Getting Started and select Business Licensing to apply and follow the steps.

Need Help?

For assistance with my.hamilton.ca and login troubleshooting visit My.hamilton Portal FAQs
For assistance with applying, visit Planning, Permitting, Licensing & By-Law System

If you already have:

a my.hamilton.ca account, and
a Customer Portal account,

Visit my.hamilton.ca/ and select the Business Related Services category to submit additional applications or manage existing ones.

Need Help?

For assistance with my.hamilton.ca and login troubleshooting visit My.hamilton Portal FAQs
For assistance with applying, visit Planning, Permitting, Licensing & By-Law System

To apply for a STR licence in person, operators will need to review and submit:

Short Term Rental Application Form & Submission Guidelines(PDF, 1.03 MB)

Additional documentation is also required:

Floor plan(PDF, 333.26 KB) showing:
- square footage of the residential unit in which the STR will be located
- number of bedrooms in the STR
- number/location of smoke alarms and carbon-monoxide detectors
- evacuation routes and the location of safety equipment
Fully completed STR questionnaire(PDF, 294.71 KB) which includes:
- description of what parts of the property will be used for STR
- description of the type of building the STR is located in (condo, apartment, lane-way house)
- number of off-street parking spaces available for the STR
- contact information for emergency contact available 24 hours a day during rental periods
- list of companies used to advertise
Proof/Declaration of Principal Residence
Guest Information Package
Detailed fire escape plan(PDF, 112.2 KB)
Proof of adequate insurance coverage
Approval of condo board and/or property owner if applicable
Statutory declaration(PDF, 347.44 KB) that the property is in compliance with the Fire Prevention Act and Ontario Fire Code
Government-issued ID
Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check (from the police services board in the home-town of the applicant – no third-party checks will be accepted)
Any additional criminal or provincial offences in all jurisdictions for which the applicant has been convicted and not pardoned and do not appear on criminal record check submitted
Documentation confirming the STR and its proposed use complies with the Electrical Safety Code, conducted by an ESA endorsed contractor
Documentation and fees are the responsibility of the property owner
Certificate of Zoning Verification from the City of Hamilton Zoning Section (for secondary dwelling units only). Fees are the responsibility of the property owner. Learn more about Zoning Verifications

The Zoning Verification certificate indicates whether a use is permitted and what the last recognized use of the property is. The property must be legally recognized for the current proposed use to move forward with the licensing process. Once a Zoning Verification certificate is received, please review the certificate for any additional instructions prior to contacting the Licensing Section.

Complete application packages and supporting forms can be submitted in 2 ways:

In person to:
- 330 Wentworth Street North, Hamilton - Open Monday and Wednesday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
- City Hall, 71 Main St, Open Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
By email to [email protected]. Once reviewed and accepted, a file number will be created and sent back to the applicant for payment

Please refer to the Business Licence Reference Guide(PDF, 1.3 MB) for more information on application requirements and fees.

After Application has been Submitted

If applying for an Entire Dwelling STR Operator Licence, A Licensing Compliance Officer will schedule an appointment with the property owner to gain entry to the building for a Property Standards inspection of each unit. Refer to the Short-Term Rental Operator Self-Certification Checklist(PDF, 134.41 KB) on what is investigated during an inspection.
The Hamilton Fire Department will review your application and its contents for compliance with the Fire Protection and Prevention Act and Ontario Fire Code.
Once all inspections are complete, the property is in compliance with municipal by-laws and relevant legislation and the licence application has been submitted in full (with payment), a Short-Term Rental licence may be issued.

Date modified

July 07, 2026