Rental Rules by City / Maryland / Ocean City, MD

Ocean City, MD short-term rental rules & tax calculator

Worcester County, Maryland · Verified against official sources Oct 24, 2026

📋 The Basics

Can I rent my place short-term here?: Yes, with a permit
Do I need a permit?: Yes. Any rental needs a yearly town rental license, plus a short-term add-on for stays of 30 days or less.
What taxes do I pay?: Total about 12%. Check your Airbnb payout report to see which ones Airbnb collects; you pay the rest yourself.

Your 3 steps to be legal

Apply by mail or in person for the rental license and Noise Control Permit.
Schedule the rental inspection within 30 days.
Register for the Worcester County room tax.

⚠️ Biggest risk: Renting without a license: up to $5,000 a day.

Words confusing? See the glossary. Details and official sources are below.

Tax calculator

Nightly rate ($) Nights Cleaning fee ($)

Rates used: Maryland sales tax 6% + Worcester County room tax 6% = 12%. Mandatory cleaning fees are included in the taxable total. County room tax rose to 6% on Jan 1, 2026; reports due the 21st monthly to the Worcester County Treasurer.

What Airbnb collects: Confirm in your payouts that Airbnb collects the new 6% Worcester room tax (not the old 5%); file any shortfall.

This is the general rule for Ocean City, MD. Does your address qualify?

The free info covers the city as a whole. Your property can still be different: zoning can change from one street to the next, and an HOA or condo ban can stop rentals even where the city allows them. The penalties Ocean City, MD lists are on the Ocean City, MD page.

Your $49 Compliance Check looks at your exact property:

Whether your exact address and zone allow short-term rentals
A check of HOA / condo rental restrictions to look for
Which permits and tax accounts you personally need
What you're missing right now
A personal report with clear next steps and official sources, by email
A refund if we report a rule in error (refund policy)

🔎 How we check: official city, county and state sources, a last-verified date on every page, and nothing guessed. Learn more

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Rules don't change every week, but they do change, and nobody emails you when they do. We'll alert you when city rules, tourist taxes, HOA-related laws, or Airbnb/Vrbo policies change in Ocean City, MD. Cancel anytime.

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Why use this instead of a web search?

Instead of scattered, sometimes outdated pages, you get the city, county and state rules on one page, with official sources linked, a last-checked date, and unconfirmed items marked "verify" instead of guessed. How we verify →

Advanced details (laws, fees, sources)

Rules

Rental license	Any rental of any length needs an annual Town rental license and Noise Control Permit; stays of 30 days or less also need a Short-Term Rental Housing Unit License (Town Code Sec. 14-174).
Fees	$196 + $50 short-term add-on = $246 for a condo or house (Resolution 2025-01).
Inspection	New licenses must schedule a rental inspection within 30 days; an emergency contact must respond within 60 minutes.
Penalties	Renting without a license: up to $5,000 per day.
Applying	New applications by mail or in person only.

Items marked "Verify with the city" could not be confirmed from an official source; call the office listed before relying on them.

Sources

Free tools

Free "Is my rental legal?" checklist · Free tourist tax calculator

Rules can change

Ocean City, MD's rules, its tax rates and platform policies can change through a council vote, a new state law or a court ruling, often with little notice to hosts. We re-check this page monthly; subscribers get notified. Stay Compliant for $4.99/mo.

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Not legal or tax advice. Last verified Oct 24, 2026. Rules and rates change: confirm with the official sources linked before you rent or file.