The Provincial Regulations for short-term rental and tourist accommodations requires proof of compliance documentation from your Municipality, in this case the Town of Lunenburg, to accompany your application. Please note the following documentation, provided together, meets the Town of Lunenburg’s requirements to show proof of compliance:
- Development Permit to authorize the short-term rental use on your property. If you have previously applied for and obtained a Development Permit for short-term rental or tourist accommodation, you will not need to re-apply, but will still need to provide a copy when you register with the Province.
- Zoning Confirmation Letter to confirm that short-term rentals are permitted in your zone
Please complete a Development Application Form(330 KB) . Return the completed form, along with a floorplan sketch of the general layout of the building for all floors, clearly showing which unit will be the short-term rental, to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or in person to Town Hall. Development Permits are free. Include with it a written request for the Zoning Confirmation Letter. The fee for a Zoning Confirmation Letter is $63.60, which can be paid via one of the Town’s acceptable payment methods(125 KB).
Follow these links to learn more about the provincial regulations and registration process for short-term rentals and tourist accommodations:
Regulations for short-term rentals and tourist accommodations - Government of Nova Scotia, Canada
Register your tourist accommodation - Government of Nova Scotia
QUESTIONS?
For questions regarding Short-Term Rentals, please contact:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
902-634-4410 ext 225
AM I ALLOWED TO HAVE A SHORT TERM RENTAL?
In areas zoned for residential use each lot or parcel is permitted to have one short term rental, which can either be the entire home, or a bedroom in a home, but only one short term rental is permitted. You can look up the zone for your property here Residential zones that allow short term rentals are:
- Lower Density Residential Use Zone
- Medium Density Residential Use Zone
- Higher Density Residential Use Zone
- Commercial Mixed-Use Zone
- General Commercial Use Zone
For example, if you own a property that has two dwelling units, like a duplex, only one unit is permitted to be a short-term rental.
You are not permitted to use an accessory dwelling unit as a short-term rental. Accessorry dwelling units are sometimes called basement suites, garage suites, garden suites or granny flats. The unit can have existed prior to your ownership or perhaps you renovated to create one- in both cases they are not permitted to be used as a short-term rental.
If you are unsure about any of the above, please contact the Town to confirm prior to listing your short-term rental. If an applicant provides inaccurate or misleading information, then the Town or Province may seek to enforce the by-laws or institute fines.
SHORT-TERM RENTAL LEVY
The Town of Lunenburg has adopted a 3% Short-Term Accommodation Levy, effective January 1, 2027. The levy is intended to support tourism promotion and tourism-related initiatives within the Town of Lunenburg. The levy applies to short-term accommodations located within the Town of Lunenburg and is authorized under the Municipal Government Act.