Milton Town Hall · Planning Board Meeting Transcript
Short-Term Rental Rules Aim for Spring Town Meeting, $500 Fee Floated
Townwide · Planning Board · Oct 28, 2026
Milton's short-term rental rules are aimed at spring Town Meeting, with a $500 registration fee floated.
- No vote yet: the Planning Board went through the drafts' open questions on Oct 15 without voting. The rules sit in three draft documents: a general bylaw, a zoning change that creates a short-term rental use, and regulations.
- Fees: members floated $500 for a first registration and $250 for each renewal. Charging more the first time is in line with other towns, one member said. These are examples, not a proposal yet: members want whichever department runs the program to work out its real cost first, and want the fees kept in a dedicated fund rather than the town's general fund. Town counsel was asked to look into that fund.
- Who runs it: no department had agreed to take on the program, a member noted, with the Health Department and Inspectional Services already behind on their work. One member said it would likely mean creating a staff position, paid for by the fees. Another said the town should settle who runs it before asking the public.
- Insurance: the draft sets a $1 million liability insurance floor, which staff said is the state's figure. A member asked whether Milton should require more.
- Why: a member cited a report of an East Milton house rented out for parties of 20-some people, blocking the street.
- Board of Health: had short-term rentals on its Oct 26 agenda. The Planning Board wanted its view on the regulations before going to the public. No record of that discussion is posted yet.
- Next: members hope to hold a public meeting on all three documents Nov 19, moved from Nov 5 so town counsel can attend. No notice is posted yet. Staff hope to have the rules ready for the Warrant Committee in mid-January, ahead of spring Town Meeting.
- Background: the bylaw was held back from the October Town Meeting after Town Administrator Nick Milano told the Select Board Aug 4 that it needed more work with the Health and Inspectional Services departments. Select Board members generally favored regulating short-term rentals over banning them. The July draft, as Milano described it then, allowed them only where the owner lives on site or next door.
Sources: Board of Health Oct 26 agenda · Planning Board meeting video, Oct 15 (Milton Access TV) · Planning Board Oct 15 agenda · Select Board minutes, Aug 4 · Select Board minutes, July 21