What public rules cover short-term rentals in Ottawa?
The City's Short-Term Rental By-law 2021-104, as consolidated by the City.
Sources checked October 16, 2026
The rule in Ottawa
- A licence, permit or registration is needed
- Only a home someone lives in
Ottawa by-law 2021-104: a City host permit is needed to rent all or part of a principal residence for under 30 consecutive nights, renewed every two years; rural homeowners and cottage owners may offer cottage rentals under a separate permit.
From Ottawa by-law 2021-104, checked 5 Oct 2026
- The recordShort-term rentals
- Where to read itShort-Term Rental By-law No. 2021-104
- The free check reads itPick “Rental and short-term rental rules”
What the record shows
The by-law defines a short-term rental as a stay of fewer than 30 consecutive nights. Nobody may operate one without a host permit, and a permit is for a host's principal residence, where the zoning allows it; cottage rentals and dedicated short-term rentals have their own rules.
The City's consolidated text lists the amendments and the permit conditions, and is marked current to 18 June 2026. The by-law is the public rule. Whether a particular home holds a permit, and whether a condominium's own rules allow the use, are separate questions.
Where to read it yourself
- Short-Term Rental By-law No. 2021-104: the City's consolidated by-law
What OfferDue covers in Ottawa
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 permit 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.