Kingston: questions buyers ask
What public rules cover short-term rentals in Kingston?
The City's Short-Term Rental Licensing By-law, as summarised on its licensing page, and the Municipal Accommodation Tax By-law.
Sources checked October 28, 2026
The rule in Kingston
- A licence, permit or registration is needed
Kingston: short-term rentals need a City licence ($203), with at most two per operator; a 5% Municipal Accommodation Tax applies.
From Kingston, checked 5 Oct 2026
- The recordShort-term rentals
- Where to read itShort-term rental licensing; Municipal Accommodation Tax
- The free check reads itPick “Rental and short-term rental rules”
What the record shows
The City's page says any owner of a property in Kingston who takes payment for all or part of a dwelling unit used for sleeping accommodation for 30 consecutive days or less needs a short-term rental operator licence, applied for by the owner or the owner's authorised agent. An operator may run up to two short-term rentals at once, a licence runs to 31 March each year, and the fee is currently $203. A rental may hold no more than two occupants per bedroom and ten in a single booking; renting by the room is limited to three rooms and four people.
The Municipal Accommodation Tax adds 5% to stays of 30 days or less. The City's page says applications are reviewed by other agencies and may bring an inspection, and that a unit added without a permit may need a building permit and zoning approval first. The by-law is the public rule; whether a particular home holds a licence is a separate question.
Where to read it yourself
- Short-term rental licensing: the City's licensing page: who needs a licence, the two-rental limit, occupancy and the fee
- Municipal Accommodation Tax: the 5% rate on stays of 30 days or less
What OfferDue covers in Kingston
Rental and short-term rental rules is in the free check as a summary of the City's by-law, from our hand-kept table, linked to the City's page. The full report adds the home-business rule. Neither confirms a licence for a given home.
Free check: pick “Rental and short-term rental rules” See the sample report
Public-record information, not legal, financial, insurance or inspection advice. Records change and can be incomplete, and this page describes the records, not any particular home. What we cover, city by city.