Short-term rental rules in the Poconos, township by township

Read this first. This is a research summary, not legal advice, and it is a snapshot. Township research is dated June 2026 and Penn Forest was rechecked on October 31, 2026. Every rule below can change. Before you list, buy or build, confirm with the township office and your community association. Each entry carries one of three marks: Confirmed (we read the ordinance or the township's own page), Reported (from a secondary source such as a news report, a scorecard or a vendor), or Unknown (we found nothing). The full table is on the permit guide.

The five things almost every township asks for

1. A short-term rental permit or license, renewed each year, with a fee.
2. An occupancy cap, often two people per bedroom, sometimes plus two or four.
3. A local contact who can reach the property quickly, day or night. A co-host is how many owners meet this.
4. Off-street parking matched to the occupancy.
5. Septic capacity matched to the sleeping count, and in some places an inspection.

Then there are the private communities. Lake Naomi, Arrowhead Lake, The Hideout, Big Bass Lake and many others have their own rental rules on top of the township's. A township permit does not override an association's ban.

Carbon County

• Penn Forest Township (Albrightsville). Confirmed 2026-10-31. Annual license through the township's online portal. A one-time $150 zoning permit, an annual inspection of $100 plus $25 per bedroom, occupancy of two per bedroom plus four, a 24-hour contact, parking spaces at least equal to bedrooms with a diagram, septic sized for bedrooms with a pumping receipt within three years, and proof you are current on county hotel tax and state sales tax. Source: pennforesttownship.org/short-term-rentals.
• Kidder Township (Lake Harmony). Reported. Permit plus annual inspection under Ordinance 2020-06, about 675 licenses. A 2021 draft set occupancy from 8 (two bedrooms) to 18 (seven bedrooms). The current fee is not published, and news reports of a large increase are unverified. Lake Harmony Estates, Split Rock and Holiday Poconos have their own rules.
• Jim Thorpe Borough. Reported. 2021 ordinance and a permit; existing rentals grandfathered; allowed only in certain districts. Fees not published.
• Towamensing Township. Reported. Commercial district along Route 209 only.
• East Side Borough. Reported. Prohibited except one parcel.
• Lehighton Borough. Reported. No short-term rental rule found. Ask about general rental registration.
• Lausanne Township. Unknown.

Monroe County

• Coolbaugh Township (Tobyhanna, Pocono Summit). Confirmed. Chapter 324, Ordinance 141-2020, amended June 2025. A license is required and rentals are allowed only in listed zones. A designated contact person who can act, and the sewage system inspected at application and each renewal. Fees seen only on vendor sites ($200 initial, $150 renewal) are unverified.
• Tobyhanna Township (Pocono Pines, Pocono Lake). Confirmed that an ordinance exists. Ordinance 569 (2022), registration through the online portal; the township FAQ from 2022 sets two per bedroom with a maximum of 10. Later changes to occupancy and a license cap are Reported, and we found no township document for them. About 750 licenses.
• Tunkhannock Township (Long Pond). Reported. Permit and inspections; just under 300 licenses.
• Middle Smithfield Township. Reported. License from the zoning officer before operating, 16-person limit.
• Jackson Township. Reported. Since January 2023 no new licenses in residential or industrial zones; about 225 existing licenses continue.
• Pocono Township (Tannersville). Reported. Not permitted in R-1 or R-2, only in C and RD zones.
• Mount Pocono Borough. Reported. New R-2 licenses ended October 2023; only the two commercial districts.
• Stroud Township, Stroudsburg Borough, East Stroudsburg Borough. Reported. Licenses and inspections; zoning limits apply, with exceptions for Penn Estates and Blue Mountain Lake in Stroud.
• Paradise, Barrett, Smithfield, Chestnuthill, Hamilton. Reported. Each limits districts; Hamilton does not allow it in agricultural zones, and Chestnuthill allows it only in general commercial zones. Barrett's ordinance is under review with changes expected in 2026.
• Price Township. Reported. No ordinance; a variance or conditional use is the suggested route.

Pike County

• Lehman Township (Bushkill). Reported. About 200 grandfathered licenses; a sale needs a certificate of non-conformity to transfer, and vendor sources say there are no new residential licenses since January 2025.
• Delaware Township (Dingmans Ferry). Reported. Rural Residential zone only; most vacation communities are R-1 and ineligible.
• Dingman Township. Reported. Permit required; not allowed in several named subdivisions.
• Milford Borough. Confirmed in part. Ordinance 488 amends zoning to allow short-term rentals, but we could not confirm the terms. A rental license is required, and owners more than 20 miles away must name a local agent.
• Greene Township (Greentown). Confirmed that it exists. STR Ordinance 99 (November 2022, amended later). Fees and occupancy not read.
• Palmyra Township (Pike). Reported. Permit, inspections and a local contact.
• Lackawaxen Township. Reported. License required; the River Reporter reported a $100 registration and $50 yearly renewal.
• Milford Township, Shohola Township. Unknown. Blooming Grove Township. Unknown (vendor sources only).

Wayne County

• Lake Township (Lake Ariel). Confirmed. September 2022 ordinance: a permit per dwelling for rentals under 29 consecutive nights, a local contact and occupancy limits. The fee is set by resolution and not published.
• Honesdale Borough. Confirmed process. License application requires the Wayne County room tax certificate and a state sales tax license; R-2 rentals are a conditional use decided at a hearing.
• Salem Township. Reported. Permit per unit, local contact, occupancy limits and the county room tax certificate.
• Texas, Lehigh, Dreher, Sterling Townships. Reported. Regulated; Texas reportedly requires renters 21 or older and on-site parking (one source). Sterling allows it in all districts. Details mostly not published.
• Paupack Township, Hawley Borough. Unknown. Palmyra Township (Wayne). Reported: no STR rule found.

Taxes

• Pennsylvania hotel occupancy tax: 6 percent on stays under 30 nights; Airbnb collects and remits it for Pennsylvania hosts. Confirmed.
• Monroe County: 3 percent hotel room rental excise tax, with registration through the county Treasurer. Confirmed.
• Wayne County: 3 percent room rental excise tax, quarterly returns, and a certificate that township permits may require. Confirmed.
• Carbon County: 3 percent hotel room rental tax. Reported.
• Pike County: a lodging tax exists; the rate is Unknown to us.
• Direct bookings: you remit everything. Ask your co-host to show you the filings.

What to do before you list

1. Find your township and your association in the table above, then call both.
2. Ask about the occupancy cap, the fee, inspections and whether new licenses are open. Several townships have closed them.
3. Check the market for your town on its page, such as Lake Harmony, Tobyhanna or Honesdale.
4. Line up a co-host who can serve as your local contact. Pairhost's co-host directory and fee calculator help, and getting quotes is free for owners.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to run a short-term rental in the Poconos?

In most of the townships we checked, yes, and renewals are yearly. A few have no ordinance or none we could find, and several allow it only in certain zones. Confirm with your township.

Can a township stop new rentals?

Several have. Jackson, Mount Pocono and Lehman reportedly stopped issuing new licenses in some zones. Existing licenses may be grandfathered but transfer rules vary.

Do HOAs and lake communities add their own rules?

Often. Arrowhead Lake, Lake Naomi, The Hideout and others have their own rental rules, and some communities are ineligible under the township's own rule.

Where do I find the current rules?

On the township's website or by calling the office. Pairhost's permit guide lists what we found and marks what we could not verify.

Township research dated June 2026; Penn Forest rechecked on October 31, 2026. Pairhost does not give legal or permit advice. Confirm every rule with the municipality before you list.

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