St. Catharines: questions buyers ask
What public rules cover short-term rentals in St. Catharines?
The City's Short-term Rental Accommodation By-law and its licensing page, the short-term rental rules in Zoning By-law 2013-283, and Municipal Accommodation Tax By-law 2023-014.
Sources checked October 29, 2026
The rule in St. Catharines
- A licence, permit or registration is needed
- Only a home someone lives in
St. Catharines: a short-term rental needs a City licence (two-year term, $563.80 application fee) and must be the operator's principal residence, a secondary home-based business with stays of up to 28 consecutive days and one parking space per bedroom; a 4% Municipal Accommodation Tax applies to stays of 30 days or less.
From St. Catharines, checked 29 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 licensing page says short-term rentals are permitted in residential areas as a home-based business, a secondary use of the property: the unit is rented for no more than 28 consecutive days, it is the primary residence of the operator, owner or tenant, and it needs one parking space per bedroom. A bed and breakfast, where the operator is present, may rent at most four rooms. Operators need a licence under the City's Short-term Rental Accommodation By-law; licences run for two years, the application fee is $563.80, and the City runs a demerit point and monetary penalty system that can lead to a suspension.
Under By-law 2023-014 the Municipal Accommodation Tax has been four per cent since 1 January 2025, on stays of 30 days or less, short-term rentals included. 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 Licensing: the City's summary of the zoning rules, the licence, its term and fee
- Municipal Accommodation Tax: By-law 2023-014 and its rates by year
What OfferDue covers in St. Catharines
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.