Sault Ste. Marie: questions buyers ask
What public rules cover short-term rentals in Sault Ste. Marie?
The City's Short-Term Rental Licensing By-law 2022-178, section 4.15 of Zoning By-law 2005-150, and Municipal Accommodation Tax By-law 2018-218 as amended by By-law 2025-86.
Sources checked October 29, 2026
The rule in Sault Ste. Marie
- A licence, permit or registration is needed
Sault Ste. Marie by-law 2022-178: a City licence, renewed every three years, is needed to rent a unit or part of one for less than 28 consecutive days; the zoning by-law permits one self-contained short-term rental per lot, with listed exceptions (s.4.15), and a 6% Municipal Accommodation Tax applies to stays under 30 days.
From Sault Ste. Marie by-law 2022-178, checked 29 Oct 2026
- The recordShort-term rentals
- Where to read itShort-Term Rental Guidelines; By-law 2022-178 and 2 more
- The free check reads itPick “Rental and short-term rental rules”
What the record shows
The City's page says a licence is required to operate a short-term rental if the unit, or part of it, is rented out for less than 28 consecutive days. Under By-law 2022-178 a licence runs for three years, so a licence obtained by 1 March 2023 expires on 31 December 2026; the applicant must be registered to collect the accommodation tax, hold at least $2,000,000 of liability insurance, and post the licence where it is plainly visible at the entrance. The zoning by-law permits one self-contained short-term rental per lot, with exceptions it lists, among them some commercial zones and properties where one unit is owner-occupied, and says recreational vehicles and tents cannot be used as short-term rentals.
The Municipal Accommodation Tax, set at 4% from 1 January 2019 under By-law 2018-218, rose to 6% on 1 September 2025 under By-law 2025-86, and applies to stays of fewer than 30 consecutive days. 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 Rental Guidelines: the City's licensing page, with the application form and guidelines
- By-law 2022-178: the short-term rental licensing by-law (PDF)
- Zoning By-law 2005-150, office consolidation May 2026: section 4.15, regulations for short-term rentals (PDF)
- Municipal Accommodation Tax: the City's page on the rate and By-law 2025-86
What OfferDue covers in Sault Ste. Marie
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.