Bulletin - Chatham, MA News Today
The select board's second increase in two months sets one flat annual fee for all registered rentals to fund a $281,000 inspection and enforcement program
Chatham Raises Short-Term Rental Registration Fee to $325 for 2027
The select board's second increase in two months sets one flat annual fee for all registered rentals to fund a $281,000 inspection and enforcement program
Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash
Short-term rental owners in Chatham will pay $325 to register or renew with the town for 2027 after the select board voted unanimously on September 29 to raise the annual registration fee which applies to certificates issued for the calendar year starting January 1. The vote lifts a fee that stood at $50 until this summer and comes less than two months after the board set it at $200.
Video of the Chatham Select Board’s Sept. 29, 2026 meeting featuring discussion of the proposed short-term rental registration fee increase.
From $50 to $325 in Two Steps
Chatham has required STR registration with its Health Division since July 1, 2023 when the Board of Health set the fee at $50. A revised Board of Health regulation effective August 1, 2026 moved registration to a calendar-year cycle and gave fee-setting power to the select board which approved a $200 fee on August 11 while asking for a second hearing to consider going as high as $350.
That second hearing produced the $325 figure with staff recommending a two-tier fee of $300 for rentals with three or fewer bedrooms and $350 for those with four or more while Chair Jeffrey Dykens favoring charging $100 per bedroom. Natural Resources Director Greg Berman warned that a bedroom-based scale would be unusual in Massachusetts, and Vice Chair Cory Metters argued that a single fee would be easier to run and would help absorb added inspection costs if state lawmakers expand inspection rules. Board member Dean Nicastro said a $350 fee would collect more than he was comfortable with before the board unanimously chose $325.
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Fee Tied to Program Costs
State law under Chapter 64G, Section 14 lets towns charge a reasonable fee to cover the local administration and enforcement of STRs, and requires operators to pay for health and safety inspections. Town staff estimated the program's full annual cost at about $281,000 including $151,040 in salaries for two inspectors along with benefits, a vehicle, software and legal support. Applied to the 901 rentals registered in 2026, the $325 fee would raise roughly $292,825 compared with $315,350 at $350.
Three-bedroom homes make up 372 of those registrations or about 41%, and four-bedroom homes account for another 223. Town Counsel Jason Talerman said the extra revenue is justified because registrations are likely to grow since the state's STR registry lists more Chatham properties than the town's own count.
Enforcement Continues
The Board of Health fines owners $200 a day for failing to register, and on September 28 it approved daily fines for unregistered rentals on three streets after notifying the owners by regular and registered mail. Under the town's STR registration program, every first-time application requires a health inspection and all rentals are scheduled to be inspected by the end of 2027.
⦾ New fee: $325 per year, flat for every rental regardless of bedroom count (up from $200 approved in August and $50 charged since 2023)
⦾ Applies to: Registration and renewal certificates issued for calendar year 2027 and thereafter
⦾ Effective date: January 1, 2027
⦾ Registration required: Yes, with the Chatham Health Division, in addition to state registration with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue
⦾ Inspections: Required for all first-time registrations with every rental to be inspected by the end of 2027
⦾ Penalty for non-compliance: $200 per day with each day counted as a separate violation
⦾ Platform responsibility: None under this decision although listings must display the Chatham registration number
⦾ Legal basis: Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 64G, Section 14
⦾ New STR bylaw: The select board is expected to discuss a new STR bylaw later in October.
⦾ 2027 registration: The town has not announced the 2027 application deadline.
⦾ State inspection bill: The Maggie Hubbard Rental Safety Act which would require yearly smoke and CO detector inspections for STRs, remains in Senate Ways and Means.
In case you missed it:
Carla Almendral
Carla Almendral
Carla Almendral
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