Nantucket Board of Health continues public hearing on short-term rental large-event rules

The Nantucket Board of Health on a continued public hearing Monday took up a proposed regulation that would require short-term rental properties to obtain a permit before hosting large gatherings and allow the board to place conditions on those permits.

The draft regulation, prepared by town counsel Greg Corbould, would give the board authority—under the town’s short-term rental bylaw—to require a permit for gatherings that exceed the registered overnight capacity and to impose conditions such as limits on hours, outdoor speakers, alcohol, parking plans and police details. Corbould described the draft as a “working document” intended to start the discussion, not a final form.

Board members and the public pressed for clearer definitions and practical enforcement measures. Several board members said the draft’s initial definition of “gathering” was too broad; Carrie (board member) warned that a literal reading could treat small dinners as violations and be used to harass renters. Board members discussed several options that would scale the threshold to a property’s approved capacity—examples included…