Owner Occupied Short-Term Rentals in Niagara Falls

The City of Niagara Falls is currently exploring the feasibility of allowing Owner Occupied Short-Term Rentals in residential areas throughout the City. Bed and Breakfasts are already allowed in some residential areas of the City.

Bed and Breakfasts have regulations that require the owner to be present on site, limit the number of people who can stay, require additional parking, and require licensing.

Owner Occupied Short-Term Rentals are proposed to have similar regulations to Bed and Breakfasts, such as

  • The owner must be present on site while it is being rented.
  • Required to have an annual license.
  • Maximum stay of 28 consecutive days.
  • Additional parking must be provided.

The difference between Owner Occupied Short-Term Rentals and Bed and Breakfasts would be that only one party can book an Owner Occupied Short-Term Rental at any given time, whereas separate parties book rooms at Bed and Breakfasts. For information on Bed and Breakfasts, visit the City’s Bed and Breakfast webpage.

Update

At the July 8, 2025, Council Meeting, Kailen Goerz, Senior Manager of Long-Range Planning Initiatives, and Shannon McKie, from Landwise, provided the Council with additional information regarding Owner Occupied Short-Term Rentals in residential areas. They addressed key discussion topics and questions of the community, stakeholders and Council that arose at the Statutory Public Meeting held on March 18th, 2025.

Considering this feedback, the Council approved the implementation of the Owner Occupied Short-Term rental permissions through a 14-month pilot program. Following this, staff will report back on the program's long-term viability. With this, they approved the recommended Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments listed in the report.

View the Notice of the adoption of Official Plan Amendment No. 180 and of the passing of By-law No. 2025-032.

Pilot Project: August 2025 to September 2026

The City of Niagara Falls is launching a 14-month pilot project to assess the feasibility of Owner Occupied Short-Term Rentals (OOSTRs) in residential areas. This program will run from August 2025 to September 2026. Applications are now open for interested residents.

Residents interested in participating in the program must submit a complete application to qualify. It is important to note that submission of an application does not guarantee acceptance into the program.

For more information on the regulations and the application process, please visit niagarafalls.ca/oostr.

The City of Niagara Falls looks forward to exploring this new opportunity that could benefit homeowners and provide lodging options for visitors while maintaining the integrity of our residential neighbourhoods.

Thank you!

Bed and Breakfast means a home occupation that provides guest rooms and breakfast to the travelling and vacationing public and is licensed by the City of Niagara Falls to carry on business.

Owner Occupied Short-Term Rental will mean a home occupation that rents a dwelling unit to a single group of the travelling and vacationing public, at the principal residence of an Owner. The Owner must occupy the property on a full-time basis and be present at the property for the duration of the rental. The rental can be for a period of 28 consecutive days or less and must be licensed by the City of Niagara Falls to carry out business.

The City currently permits Vacation Rental Units in specific commercial areas of the City outside of residential areas. A Vacation Rental Unit is a short-term accommodation that is available in its entirety (i.e., no owner present on site) to provide temporary lodging to a single group of the travelling and vacationing public, such as those offered through booking applications like Vrbo and Airbnb. A Vacation Rental Unit must be licensed by the City of Niagara Falls. For more information on VRUs, visit the City’s Vacation Rental Unit webpage.

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