What public rules cover short-term rentals in Sarnia?
The City's Short-Term Accommodation By-law 15 of 2020, section 3.41 of Zoning By-law 85 of 2002 and its Municipal Accommodation Tax By-law, as summarised on its short-term accommodation pages.
Sources checked October 29, 2026
The rule in Sarnia
- A licence, permit or registration is needed
- Only a home someone lives in
- Up to 180 a year
Sarnia by-law 15 of 2020: short-term accommodations (stays of less than 30 consecutive days) need an annual City licence and a fire inspection, in the operator's principal residence, with at most three guest rooms and an entire home rented for at most 180 days a year; a 4% Municipal Accommodation Tax applies.
From Sarnia by-law 15 of 2020, checked 29 Oct 2026
- The recordShort-term rentals
- Where to read itShort-Term Accommodations (STA); Short-Term Accommodation By-law 15 of 2020 and 2 more
- The free check reads itPick “Rental and short-term rental rules”
What the record shows
The City's page says a short-term accommodation licence, renewed every year, is needed to rent guest rooms or an entire home for periods of less than 30 consecutive days, and that an entire dwelling may be rented this way for at most 180 days a year. The accommodation must be in a legally permitted dwelling unit that is the operator's primary residence, with a dedicated operator's room, guest rooms that meet the Ontario Building Code's standards for a bedroom, one parking space per guest room plus one for the dwelling, and a fire inspection before the licence is issued. Section 3.41 of the zoning by-law limits a short-term accommodation to three guest rooms and, in a residential zone, to the operator's principal residence.
The City has charged a four per cent Municipal Accommodation Tax since 1 July 2020 on lodging of less than 30 days, and a short-term accommodation licence is needed before registering for it. The by-laws are the public rule. Whether a particular home holds a licence is a separate question.
Where to read it yourself
- Short-Term Accommodations (STA): the City's page on the licence, its conditions and the application
- Short-Term Accommodation By-law 15 of 2020: the licensing by-law, consolidated (PDF)
- Section 3: General Regulations: the zoning by-law's section 3.41, Short-Term Accommodations (PDF)
- Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT): the four per cent rate since 1 July 2020 and the by-law
What OfferDue covers in Sarnia
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 says how a given home is used.
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.