Brantford Airbnb Short Term Rental Rules 2026

Quick Summary: Brantford STR Rules

The headline rules for an operator at a glance:

The Two-Bylaw Framework

Brantford does not have a single comprehensive STR bylaw. The framework lives in two separate places:

1. Zoning By-law 160-90 (City) plus County of Brant Zoning By-law 61-16 (annexed lands)

In 2017, Brantford annexed roughly 6,500 acres from the County of Brant. To keep the law continuous, the City applies its own Zoning By-law 160-90 inside the original City boundary and the County of Brant Zoning By-law 61-16 within the annexed lands. Through application file PZ-03-21 and amending Bylaw 207-2021, the City zoning bylaw was amended to add Section 2.19.12.1 (the STRA definition) and Section 6.37 (the STRA-specific provisions). The companion amendment was made to County of Brant Zoning By-law 61-16 for the annexed lands; the Section numbering may differ in 61-16, so confirm directly if your property is in the annexed area.

2. Registration program (Elections, Licensing and Administrative Services)

Section 6.37.5 of Zoning By-law 160-90 requires that "short term rental accommodations must be registered through the Short Term Rental Accommodation Registry Program, as amended." The registry program is administered by the City's Elections, Licensing and Administrative Services department, and registration is required before an STR can lawfully operate. The City's online STR registration form is the entry point.

Definition (Maximum 28 Consecutive Days Per Stay)

Section 2.19.12.1 of Zoning By-law 160-90 reads:

"Short Term Rental Accommodation shall mean a dwelling unit, or portion thereof, in which temporary accommodation is made available to members of the travelling public for a maximum of 28 consecutive days per stay, and does not include a bed and breakfast establishment, group home, or lodging house." City of Brantford Zoning By-law 160-90, Section 2.19.12.1

The 28-day stay threshold differentiates short-term rentals from long-term residential tenancies, which fall under the Residential Tenancies Act. The exclusion of bed and breakfast establishments, group homes, and lodging houses keeps those categories regulated under their own definitions and provisions in 160-90.

Principal Residence Required

This is the most consequential rule for investors. Section 6.37.1 of Zoning By-law 160-90 reads:

"A short term rental accommodation must be operated by the person or persons whose principal residence is the dwelling in which the short term rental accommodation is located. For the purposes of this Section, the entire accessory dwelling unit shall be included as part of a principal residence." City of Brantford Zoning By-law 160-90, Section 6.37.1

Practical implications:

• The operator must live in the dwelling where the STR is located
• For the purposes of Section 6.37, the entire accessory dwelling unit is treated as part of the principal residence
• Owner-occupied homes with a basement apartment, garden suite, or coach house can rent the ADU as an STR while the owner remains on site
• A property purchased purely for STR use, with no resident owner-operator, is not permitted

Where Short-Term Rentals Are Permitted

Section 6.37 of Zoning By-law 160-90 opens with:

"Notwithstanding any other provision of this By-law, any short term rental accommodation shall be permitted within all zones where residential uses are permitted, subject to the following provisions..." City of Brantford Zoning By-law 160-90, Section 6.37 (introductory clause)

That covers all residential zones in 160-90, plus select commercial zones where residential uses are also permitted. For lands annexed into Brantford in 2017, the County of Brant Zoning By-law 61-16 applies and contains a parallel STR provision; verify the specific zone permission directly against 61-16 if your property sits in the annexed area.

Two notable restrictions baked into Section 6.37:

1. STRs and bed and breakfast establishments cannot share the same lot (Section 6.37.2). If you currently operate a B&B, you cannot also list the same lot on Airbnb as a separate STR. Pick one model.
2. The principal-residence rule applies in every permitted zone. The zoning category determines where STRs are physically permitted; the owner-occupancy rule applies regardless.

City Registration Program

Section 6.37.5 of Zoning By-law 160-90 states: "Short term rental accommodations must be registered through the Short Term Rental Accommodation Registry Program, as amended." Operators must register their property with the City through the Elections, Licensing and Administrative Services department before listing.

Registration enables the City to:

• Confirm the property is in a permitted zone
• Confirm the principal-residence requirement is met
• Track active STR addresses for complaint handling and bylaw enforcement
• Cross-reference operators with MAT remittance under By-law 213-2023

Registration is completed through the City's online Short-Term Rental Accommodation Registration form. For current fees and processing requirements, contact Brantford's Elections, Licensing and Administrative Services at 519-759-4150.

The 4% Municipal Accommodation Tax

Brantford's Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) is set under By-law 213-2023 and took effect March 1, 2024. The City's MAT page describes it as follows:

"Effective March 1, 2024, all hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts, including those sold online (Airbnb, VRBO, etc.) must pay a 4% Municipal Accommodation Tax to the City of Brantford per By-Law 213-2023." City of Brantford Municipal Accommodation Tax page

What the MAT Applies To

The MAT applies to "room rental accommodations of four hours or more and continuous stays of 29 nights or less." It only applies to the cost of a room used for accommodation, not to ancillary service fees.

Exemptions

Per the City's MAT page, the tax does not apply to:

• Rooms rented for more than 29 consecutive nights
• Hospitals
• Long-term care homes
• Treatment centres receiving provincial aid
• Charitable shelters
• School Board properties
• University and college lodgings
• Employer-provided complimentary rooms
• Houses of refuge
• Tent and trailer sites at campgrounds
• Summer camp overnight accommodations

Collection by ORHMA

Brantford has designated the Ontario Restaurant Hotel Motel Association (ORHMA) as its agent to collect the MAT from accommodation providers. STR operators register with ORHMA, charge the 4% MAT on each in-scope booking, and remit collected MAT to ORHMA.

Remittance Schedule and Penalties

• Frequency: Monthly, within 15 days of the end of each month
• Interest on overdue MAT: 1.25% per month on any overdue payment
• Property lien: Unpaid MAT amounts may become a lien against the property

Revenue Split

Per Ontario Regulation 435/17, MAT revenue is split 50/50 between the City and an Eligible Tourism Entity. Brantford has designated the Brantford Tourism Development Corporation as its Municipal Services Corporation. Half the MAT funds destination marketing through that body; the other half supports City tourism infrastructure and events.

Parking Rules for STRs

Section 6.37.3 of Zoning By-law 160-90 sets the STR-specific parking calculation:

"For short term rental accommodations with up to three (3) bedrooms per unit, the primary residential use parking requirements shall apply. For four (4) or more bedrooms per unit, one additional parking space per bedroom will be required." City of Brantford Zoning By-law 160-90, Section 6.37.3

Section 6.37.4 adds: "Short term rental accommodations shall be regulated by the applicable zoning provisions pertaining to the principal use and by the regulations of Section 6.3 (Accessory uses, Buildings and Structures), and Section 6.32 (Accessory Dwelling Units), where necessary."

Two STR-friendly exceptions in the general parking provisions (Section 6.18.3) make this easier to comply with on smaller lots:

• Front-yard parking (Section 6.18.3.3): Required parking spaces normally cannot be located in the minimum front yard in RE, R1A, R1B, R1C, R1D, R2, R3, or RC Zones. STRs are listed among the exceptions, where one parking space may be located in the front yard if it cannot be provided behind the front wall of the main building, "to a maximum of one parking space per property."
• Tandem parking (Section 6.18.3.10): Where two or more parking spaces are required, tandem parking spaces are normally prohibited. STRs are listed among the exceptions (along with bed and breakfast establishments, home occupations, accessory dwelling units, and converted dwelling units) where tandem parking is permitted.

Worked example: a 5-bedroom owner-occupied STR uses the regular residential parking calculation for the dwelling, plus 5 additional spaces (one per bedroom). Confirm your specific lot's parking compliance with Planning before listing.

Enforcement

Operating an STR without complying with the framework can trigger:

• Zoning By-law violations for operating in a non-permitted zone, or operating without registration. Enforced by the City's Property Standards and By-law Services.
• MAT non-compliance penalties under By-law 213-2023, including 1.25% monthly interest on overdue MAT and a possible lien on the property.
• Tax-relevant audit risk if MAT collection is inconsistent across listings or platforms.

Brantford's Planning Department noted in Report 2021-209 that, at the time, no formal complaints had been lodged with the City's Property Standards and By-law Services specifically regarding short-term rental accommodations. That has likely changed since the framework formally came into force, so do not rely on light enforcement as a strategy.

Staying Compliant in Brantford

• 1
  Confirm the property is your principal residence. Use it as the residential address on your taxes and identification. The principal-residence requirement is the central rule of the framework.
• 2
  Register the STR with the City before listing on Airbnb, VRBO, or any other platform. Use the City's online STR Registration form.
• 3
  Confirm your zoning with Planning. The STR use is permitted in residential, select commercial, and agricultural zones (annexed lands), but verify your specific parcel.
• 4
  Don't operate a B&B and an STR in the same dwelling. Pick one model per address.
• 5
  Register with ORHMA for MAT collection and configure each platform listing to charge the 4% MAT (or confirm whether the platform collects on your behalf). Remit monthly within 15 days of month end.
• 6
  If you have an accessory dwelling unit, confirm with Planning that ADU parking provisions in Section 6.23 are met and that the unit is lawfully permitted under the Zoning By-law.
• 7
  Keep good records. The City may cross-reference Airbnb listings against the registration list and ORHMA MAT data to flag unregistered operators.
• 8
  Stay on top of overdue MAT. Interest applies at 1.25% per month, and unpaid amounts can become a property lien.

Official City of Brantford Resources

Always verify current rules with official sources before making hosting decisions:

Common Questions From Brantford Hosts

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Bylaw and regulation details change. Always verify current rules directly with the City of Brantford before making hosting decisions.

Sources used in this article (all retrieved April 2026):

• City of Brantford Zoning By-law 160-90 (consolidated), as amended by Bylaw 207-2021 (PZ-03-21). Primary source. Used verbatim for: STRA definition (Section 2.19.12.1), principal residence rule (Section 6.37.1), STR/B&B same-lot prohibition (Section 6.37.2), parking calculation (Section 6.37.3), accessory use cross-references (Section 6.37.4), registration requirement (Section 6.37.5), permitted zones (Section 6.37 introductory clause), front-yard parking exception for STRs (Section 6.18.3.3), tandem parking exception for STRs (Section 6.18.3.10).
• City of Brantford Planning Report 2021-209 (PZ-03-21) dated March 18, 2021. Used for: background, rationale for the principal residence rule, public-meeting context, and confirmation that the registration program runs alongside zoning permission.
• City of Brantford Municipal Accommodation Tax webpage and By-law 213-2023. Used for: 4% MAT rate, March 1, 2024 effective date, scope (4 hours minimum, 29 nights or less), exemptions list, ORHMA collection agency, monthly remittance schedule, 1.25% monthly interest on overdue MAT, lien language, and 50/50 revenue split with the Brantford Tourism Development Corporation.
• Let's Talk Brantford Short-Term Rental Accommodation Review engagement page. Used for: STR review program context.
• County of Brant Zoning By-law 61-16. Referenced for the parallel STR provisions covering lands annexed into Brantford in 2017; specific section numbers in 61-16 not verified in this article.
• Ontario Regulation 435/17. Used for: 50/50 MAT revenue-sharing requirement with an Eligible Tourism Entity.