The Municipality of Meaford launched its Short‑term Rental (STR) Registry as the first step in a new regulation program.  

A Short‑Term rental is any home, room, or dwelling rented for 28 days or less. Stays longer than 28 days are considered long‑term rentals and are not part of this program. 

All STR operators are encouraged to join the 2026 STR Registry. 

Register Your STR (Now Open) 

Applications must be submitted before April 1, 2026 and must be deemed complete by the Municipality of Meaford to be considered.

Why register? 

  • Shows that your STR is being operated in a responsible manner 

  • Priority consideration when the STR licensing program launches in 2028 

  • Clear communication with the Municipality’s expectations 

  • Helps demonstrate that your STR is operating responsibly 

  • Reinforces your commitment to responsible hosting within the neighbourhood 

What you’ll need: 

FAQs

What is a Short-Term Rental (STR)?
A Short-Term Rental (STR) is an overnight accommodation to the travelling or vacationing public for a period of 28 days or less.
Does the Municipality licence STRs?

The Municipality does not currently license Short-Term Rentals, however, the use may be regulated under our Municipal Zoning By-law 60-2009. Examples of rental uses defined in the Zoning By-law are Bed and Breakfast, Cottage Rental, Hotel/Motel, Tourist Establishment and Campground. Many short term rentals (rentals) in a private home are considered Cottage Rentals in the By-law. For more information, please review the definitions in Part 3 of our Zoning Bylaw 60-2009 and the applicable provisions with those uses.  You can self-check the full Zoning By-law on the Municipal website at www.meaford.ca/zoning. 

 

Some lands within the Municipality are not under the jurisdiction of our Zoning By-law 60-2009, but are regulated under the Niagara Escarpment Commission Development Control. In those cases, you need to check with the Niagara Escarpment Commission or visit www.escarpment.org to determine if the use is permitted. 
Does the Municipality licence Airbnb's?

Airbnb is not “a use” in itself, but an online marketplace for lodging, connecting people who want to rent out their ‘home’ with people who are looking for seasonal or temporary accommodations in specific locations.  

 

The Municipality requests all Short-Term Rentals to submit their application for the Registry Program.  It currently does not license Short-Term Rentals within the current Licensing By-law.  
What are the current short-term rental regulations in 'residental' homes that are within the Municipality's jurisdiction under Zoning By-law 60-2009?

Meaford Zoning By-law 60-2009 outlines two types of Short-Term Rental uses permitted in a person’s ‘home’: 

  1. Bed and Breakfast – A single detached dwelling unit in which not more than three bedrooms are used or maintained for the accommodation of the travelling or vacationing public, in which the owner of the dwelling unit resides and supplies lodgings with or without meals for hire or pay, but does not include a residential care facility or tourist establishment. 

Review: 

  • Bylaw 60-2009,  section 6.1, table 6.1 – to ensure the use is permitted in the residential zone; or 

Bylaw 60-2009, section 8.0, table 8.1 – to ensure the use is permitted in agricultural, rural, recreational and other zones. 

  

 2. Cottage Rental - The commercial use of all or part of a single detached dwelling to provide living accommodation to the travelling or vacationing public or occupied for a seasonal or temporary period. A Cottage Rental shall not mean or include a Motel, Hotel, Bed and Breakfast Establishment, Tourist Establishment, Hospital or similar commercial or institutional use. 

Review: 

  • By-law 60-2009, section 4.30 – which permits the use within a permitted single detached dwelling, subject to the following: 

a)     a Cottage Rental may not be located within a detached Accessory Structure or within a temporary or permanent farm help accommodation or Dwelling; 

b)     a Cottage Rental may occur within an Accessory Apartment Dwelling Unit within a single detached Dwelling, however not within both the main and the Accessory Apartment Dwelling Units; and 

c)     where a Cottage Rental is established either on its own or together with a Bed and Breakfast Establishment, the total combined number of bedrooms providing accommodation for the vacationing or travelling public shall not exceed three. 

For more information, please review the definitions in Part 3 of our Zoning By-law 60-2009 and the applicable provisions with those uses. 

You can self-check the full Zoning By-law on the Municipal website at www.meaford.ca/zoning. 

  

Before establishing a Short-term Rental,  

 All property owners are required to ensure that their property is in compliance with all applicable agencies, statues and regulations which includes but not limited to the Building Code, the Fire Code, the Planning Act, the Parking Control By-law, Noise By-law, Property Standards By-law, etc. 

 

  

If your land is within the jurisdiction of the Niagara Escarpment Commission and regulated under the Niagara Escarpment Commission Development Control, you will need to visit www.escarpment.org to determine if the use is permitted. 
Can I use my accessory building as a short-term rental?
No, the use must be within a single detached Dwelling Unit.
How many bedrooms are permitted in a Bed and Breakfast?

Not more than three bedrooms are permitted to be used in a single detached Dwelling Unit. 

  

The Municipality applies the Ontario Building Code and our Property Standards By-law to regulate the occupancy standard for Bed and Breakfast establishments in residential homes: 

  

  1. The Building Code Act standardizes two persons per bedroom and; 

  2. Our Property Standards Bylaw 2019-70, section 50 – regulates occupancy standards: 

  3. 50.1 Shall not permit the use of a non-habitable room for the use as a habitable (sleeping) room. 

  4. 50.2 The minimum area of a room for sleeping purposes in a dwelling unit used by only one person shall have a floor area of at least 6 square metres (64.5 square feet). 

  5. 50.3 The minimum area of a room for sleeping purposes in a dwelling unit as a bedroom by two or more persons shall be four square metres (43 square feet) for each person. 

  6. 50.4 No basement shall be used as a habitable room unless it meets the following requirements: 

    1. floor and walls are constructed so as to be impervious to leakage of underground and surface runoff water and treated against dampness; 

    2. each habitable room shall meet all requirements for light, ventilation, area and ceiling height prescribed in this By-law or the Building Code; and 

    3. access to each habitable room shall be gained without passage through a furnace or boiler room. 

Review: 

All property owners are required to ensure that their property when rented or in this use is in compliance with all applicable statues and regulations which includes but not limited to the Building code, the Fire Code, parking, noise, yard maintenance, etc.
How many bedrooms or how many people are allowed to sleep in a cottage rental?

Not more than three bedrooms are permitted to be used in a single detached Dwelling Unit. 

  

The Municipality applies the Ontario Building Code and our Property Standards By-law to regulate the occupancy standard for \Short-Term Rentals in a dwelling unit.  

  

  1. The Building Code Act standardizes two persons per bedroom and; 

  2. Our Property Standards Bylaw 2019-70, section 50 – regulates occupancy standards: 

  3. 50.1 Shall not permit the use of a non-habitable room for the use as a habitable (sleeping) room. 

  4. 50.2 The minimum area of a room for sleeping purposes in a dwelling unit used by only one person shall have a floor area of at least 6 square metres (64.5 square feet). 

  5. 50.3 The minimum area of a room for sleeping purposes in a dwelling unit as a bedroom by two or more persons shall be four square metres (43 square feet) for each person. 

  6. 50.4 No basement shall be used as a habitable room unless it meets the following requirements: 

    1. floor and walls are constructed so as to be impervious to leakage of underground and surface runoff water and treated against dampness; 

    2. each habitable room shall meet all requirements for light, ventilation, area and ceiling height prescribed in this By-law or the Building Code; and 

    3. access to each habitable room shall be gained without passage through a furnace or boiler room. 

Review: 

All property owners are required to ensure that their property is in compliance with all applicable agencies, statutes and regulations, which include, but are not limited to, the Building Code, the Fire Code, the Planning Act, the Parking Control By-law, Noise By-law,  Property Standards e By-law, etc.

I have a concern about an STR. What do I do?

If you have a concern with the use of a Short-Term Rental being a disturbance or not abiding by the applicable laws and regulations   

  1. Visit our online web portal and Report a Concern: www.meaford.ca/reportaconcern. 

  1. In the body content within the Report a Concern, ensure to explain the exact details, the address for the property you are reporting the concern and your contact information 

  • Once a complaint is received through the web portal, a Municipal Enforcement service call occurrence number is generated, and an email will be forwarded to the complainant with the corresponding number.   

  • Once a complaint is received, it is deemed an Open Law Enforcement matter, and an Officer will be assigned to investigate the concern to validate and ensure compliance. All concerns received are confidential 

  • Note: If the concern you are lodging appears to be ongoing and requires immediate attention after the Municipality’s office administration hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, call the non-emergency number for OPP 1-888-310-1122. If your concern is an immediate threat to life or safety or a crime is actively happening, call 9-1-1. 

Resources

  • DEV2026‑02– Short‑term Rental Regulation Project Plan 

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