Know before you make the offer.

Is Airbnb legal at this Salem address?

A $49 short-term-rental compliance screen for Salem, MA. We screen the City's actual STR ordinance and hand you a diligence checklist that points you at the primary source — not a guarantee, and not legal advice.

● Currently Salem, MA only
See a sample report → Free, no signup — see exactly what you get

Screen a Salem Address — $49

Regulatory research, not legal advice  ·  Salem, MA only  ·  Dated & valid-as-of

🔒 Secure Stripe checkout · You must accept the box above to order · We never store your card.

What we read
Salem Code Ch. 15 City STR portal MA Room-Occupancy Excise MassTaxConnect Zoning districts
$49 One-off screen
Salem, MA Coverage area (only)
Dated Valid-as-of, with citations
⚠️

This screen does NOT check your condo or HOA master deed.

Short-term rentals are frequently banned in the association's documents — the master deed, declaration of trust, and rules & regulations — even when the town allows them. Those documents generally aren't published online, so we can't read them for you.

You must obtain and review your own master deed and association rules before listing. We flag this on every screen as a required buyer-supplied check — we never report it as a finding.

How it works

Three steps, before your offer

1

Enter the Salem address

Drop in the property address and your email, accept the research disclaimer, and check out. No account.

2

We screen Salem's STR ordinance

We read the City of Salem's published short-term-rental ordinance and Massachusetts guidance directly — registration, the owner-occupancy / primary-residence rule, zoning-district eligibility, the same-building / owner-adjacent rule, and the lodging/occupancy tax stack.

3

You get a diligence checklist

Either "no obvious prohibition as of [date] — here's exactly what YOU must confirm" or a clear NO-GO, with citations to the Salem ordinance and the mandatory condo/HOA warning. A first screen, not a permit.

This is regulatory research, not legal advice. It's a structured diligence checklist that points you at the primary source so you know what to confirm with the City of Salem (and, where it matters, a Massachusetts attorney) before you list — or before you even make the offer. Bylaws change; every screen is dated and tells you to re-verify against the current ordinance.

What the screen covers

The Salem gates we check

📝

Registration & permit

Whether Salem requires annual STR registration and a Certificate of Fitness inspection before you can list — and that you must complete it.

🏠

Owner-occupancy rule

Salem's decisive lever: non-owner-occupied STRs became prohibited for new operators after July 16, 2018 (Ch. 15 effective date). Pre-existing operators could seek a ZBA special permit — that window closed June 15, 2019. We screen whether your use case (investor vs. owner-occupant) clears it and flag the cutoff dates.

🗺️

Zoning eligibility

Whether the parcel's zoning district is on Salem's STR-eligible list — STR use is limited to certain districts.

🔢

same-building / owner-adjacent rule

Salem's cap on how many units in a structure may operate as STR, and what that means for a multi-unit or condo property.

🧾

Lodging / occupancy tax

The Massachusetts room-occupancy excise (≤31-day stays), Salem's local-option add-on, and the MassTaxConnect registration you owe.

✅

Your verify checklist

A dated, sourced "confirm these before relying" list — the specific primary-source checks you must complete with the City and your association.

Set your expectations honestly

We'd rather under-promise. Here's exactly what the $49 screen is — and what it deliberately is not.

What you get

  • A screen of Salem's actual STR ordinance for your specific address
  • A clear "no obvious prohibition as of [date]" or a clear NO-GO
  • The specific things YOU must confirm with the City before listing
  • Citations to the Salem ordinance chapter and Massachusetts sources
  • The mandatory condo/HOA warning on every screen
  • A dated, valid-as-of report you can act on at the diligence stage

What it is not

  • Not legal advice and not a legal opinion
  • Not a permit, a license, or a City determination of any kind
  • Not a guarantee that you can legally operate an STR
  • Not a review of your condo / HOA master deed (you must do that)
  • Not a substitute for confirming the current ordinance — bylaws change
  • Not coverage for any town other than Salem, MA

Pricing

One screen. One honest price.

A fraction of an attorney consult — and you get it before you make the offer. One tier, plus an optional monthly monitor for when Salem changes its rules.

STR Compliance Screen

$49

One-off · Salem, MA only

  • Screen of Salem's STR ordinance for your address
  • Registration, owner-occupancy & zoning checks
  • same-building / owner-adjacent rule & lodging-tax stack
  • "Confirm these" diligence checklist
  • Citations + dated / valid-as-of
  • Mandatory condo/HOA warning
Screen an Address — $49

Bylaw Monitor (optional add-on)

$19/mo

Add at checkout · cancel anytime

  • Re-checks Salem's STR ordinance monthly
  • Emails you within 3 days of a detected change
  • The answer to freshness rot — rules change constantly
  • Opt in with one checkbox in the order form
Add the Monitor at checkout

Added as a checkbox in the order flow — not a separate purchase.

Regulatory research compiled from the City of Salem's published STR ordinance and Massachusetts guidance, as of the research date. Not legal advice, not a legal opinion, not a permit. You must confirm with the City of Salem and review your own condo/HOA documents before listing. Maximum refund equals the purchase price.

Order your screen

Screen This Salem Address

🔒 Secure Stripe checkout · You must accept the box above to order · We never store your card.

Common questions

FAQ

No. This is regulatory research — a diligence screen compiled from the City of Salem's published STR ordinance and Massachusetts guidance. It is not legal advice, not a legal opinion, and not a permit determination. We point you at the primary source and tell you what to confirm; you verify with the City of Salem and, where it matters, a Massachusetts attorney before you list.
We do not check your association's master deed, declaration of trust, or rules & regulations — those documents generally aren't published online. Condo and HOA rules frequently ban short-term rentals even when the town allows them. You must obtain and review your own master deed and association rules; the screen flags this as a required buyer-supplied check on every report, and never reports it as a finding.
Every screen is dated and valid-as-of the research date, and cites the Salem ordinance chapter we read. Bylaws change — Ordinance text can be amended — so we tell you to re-confirm against the current ordinance text. The optional $19/mo Bylaw Monitor re-checks Salem's STR ordinance every month and emails you within 3 days of a detected change.
A structured diligence checklist for the specific Salem address: a screen of Salem's STR ordinance (registration, owner-occupancy / primary-residence rule, zoning eligibility, the same-building / owner-adjacent rule, lodging/occupancy tax), a clear "no obvious prohibition as of [date] — here's what YOU must confirm" or a clear NO-GO, the mandatory condo/HOA warning, and citations to the Salem ordinance and Massachusetts sources. It's regulatory research, not a guarantee.
Not yet — this screen is Salem, MA only. STR bylaws are per-town and unstructured, so we cover Salem properly rather than every town poorly. If you need another Massachusetts town, email us at [email protected] and we'll tell you honestly whether it's on the roadmap.
Screen this Salem address — $49