Vacohost

    Pennsylvania

    Pocono Township, Pennsylvania short-term rental rules

    Overview

    Pocono Township regulates short-term rentals as a 'transient dwelling use' of single-family dwellings under Chapter 302, and the ordinance is unusually specific: it applies only in two zoning districts, caps occupancy by a formula, and ties bedroom count to the sewage permit on record. Monroe County's hotel room excise tax applies on top.

    Areas covered: Pocono Township, Monroe County, Tannersville and surrounding township area · Last verified

    Verified requirements for Pocono Township, Pennsylvania

    Each item below was read from the official document cited with it. Nothing here is generic guidance.

    1. prohibition

      A dwelling used as a Transient Dwelling Use (TDU) may not operate without a Township-issued TDU license; subleasing all or part of the dwelling is prohibited, as are fireworks and outdoor overnight sleeping.

      Source: Pocono Township Code — Chapter 302 (Transient Dwelling Use) (opens in a new tab) · 302-5, 302-6A(16) · Verified

    2. ownerOccupancy

      TDUs must be either owner-occupied or, if not, must designate a local person in charge residing or with an office within 15 miles of the property.

      Source: Pocono Township Code — Chapter 302 (Transient Dwelling Use) (opens in a new tab) · 302-6A(6) · Verified

    3. minimumStay

      A TDU is defined as a dwelling unit rented or leased for a period of less than 30 days; tenants must be at least 21 years old.

      Source: Pocono Township Code — Chapter 302 (Transient Dwelling Use) (opens in a new tab) · § 302-4 Definitions (TDU / TENANT) · Verified

    4. inspections

      TDUs are subject to inspection by the Zoning Officer/Code Official to verify license and application compliance, both at initial application and on complaint.

      Source: Pocono Township Code — Chapter 302 (Transient Dwelling Use) (opens in a new tab) · 302-9 · Verified

    5. Only permitted in two zoning districts

      Transient dwelling use is allowed only in the Commercial District and the Recreational District under the township zoning code. Hotels, motels, inns, and bed-and-breakfasts with a 24/7 on-site representative are treated separately.

      Source: Pocono Township Code — Chapter 302, Transient Dwelling Use of Single-Family Dwellings (opens in a new tab) · § 302-2 · Verified

    6. Licence required and not transferable

      A transient dwelling use licence must be issued before renting, and it does not transfer when the property changes hands.

      Source: Pocono Township Code — Chapter 302 (opens in a new tab) · § 302-6 · Verified

    7. Owner-occupied or a local person in charge

      The dwelling must be owner-occupied, or have a designated person in charge who lives or keeps an office within 15 miles.

      Source: Pocono Township Code — Chapter 302 (opens in a new tab) · § 302-6A(6) · Verified

    8. Occupancy formula and parking

      Overnight occupancy is capped at two persons per bedroom plus four, or 14 people, whichever is less. Day guests are capped at 75% of maximum overnight occupancy. Street and yard parking, tents, RVs, and outdoor overnight sleeping are prohibited.

      Source: Pocono Township Code — Chapter 302 (opens in a new tab) · § 302-6A(9)–(11) · Verified

    9. Insurance and tax certificates

      The owner must carry $500,000 liability insurance and supply a Monroe County Hotel Room Excise Tax certificate and a Pennsylvania sales tax licence.

      Source: Pocono Township Code — Chapter 302 (opens in a new tab) · § 302-6A(3)–(4) · Verified

    10. Annual licence term and posted placard

      The licence term runs 1 November to 31 October and is renewed annually, and a placard must be posted on the front door.

      Source: Pocono Township Code — Chapter 302 (opens in a new tab) · § 302-6B; § 302-7 · Verified

    11. Advertising an occupancy above the licensed limit is a violation

      The listing itself can create the violation: advertising occupancy that exceeds the licensed limit is prohibited.

      Source: Pocono Township Code — Chapter 302 (opens in a new tab) · § 302-10 · Verified

    12. Enforcement

      Violations are treated as a nuisance; the code official issues written notice with a correction window of up to seven days.

      Source: Pocono Township Code — Chapter 302 (opens in a new tab) · § 302-11; § 302-13 · Verified

    Regulation research score

    How far the short-term-rental rules we confirmed from cited official sources for Pocono Township, Pennsylvania constrain an ordinary non-owner-occupied, whole-home short-term rental, expressed on a 0–100 burden scale built from 12 weighted criteria in two dimensions: market access and operating compliance. Higher means more constrained. It is not a legal conclusion, a permissiveness rating, a market rating, a measure of desirability, legality or profitability, and not investment advice.

    Very high / effectively restricted· 100/100 (range 100–100)· High confidence

    Documented rules make an ordinary non-owner-occupied whole-home short-term rental unavailable or close to impossible for most properties — for example an outright prohibition, a primary-residence mandate, or a closed permit programme.

    A documented severe market-access trigger is present (zoning eligibility, caps, density or spacing), so the effectively-restricted band is available. The observed estimate of 100 of 100 combines an access sub-score of 100 and an operating sub-score of 100.

    Based on 100% evidence coverage across the 12-criterion rubric.

    Market access and eligibility · 100 of 100

    • Prohibition or closed entryNo access effect (definitional or permissive) · 0

      The cited text requires a licence and bars subleasing and fireworks — operating rules, not eligibility.

    • Owner-occupancy or primary residenceNo access effect (definitional or permissive) · 0

      A non-owner-occupied unit may operate by designating a local person in charge within 15 miles.

    • Zoning eligibility, caps, density or spacingSevere market-access trigger · 100

      Transient dwelling use is allowed only in the Commercial and Recreational districts, excluding residential inventory.

    • Minimum or maximum stayNo access effect (definitional or permissive) · 0

      A sub-30-day definition of the regulated use.

    Operating and compliance · 100 of 100

    • Permit, licence, or registration22 pts
    • Inspection or life-safety certification16 pts
    • Occupancy and parking14 pts
    • Enforcement and penalties14 pts
    • Local responsible party12 pts
    • Renewal or transfer10 pts
    • Advertising and listing rules7 pts
    • Lodging tax or fees5 pts

    Operating rules are weighted at 0.45, so compliance requirements alone cannot push a jurisdiction past Moderate / structured.

    Burden estimate
    100 of 100 · Very high / effectively restricted
    Uncertainty interval
    100–100 of 100
    Evidence coverage
    100% · 12 of 12 criteria resolved
    Confidence
    High
    Last reviewed

    High confidence: 100% of the rubric is resolved against cited official sources. The observed estimate of 100 could still rise to 100 if the remaining criteria turn out to apply.

    12 of 12 rubric criteria resolved against cited official sources.

    Why this score

    Market-access findings are graded severe, major, moderate or none from the cited official claim itself; the most severe finding scores in full and each additional finding adds a quarter of its points, so correlated restrictions are never double-counted. The operating sub-score is a weighted count out of 100 and is multiplied by 0.45, which is why routine permitting, inspection, contact, tax and enforcement rules alone cannot exceed the Moderate / structured band. An unresolved criterion is never recorded as 'not required' and never scored as zero: it enters the central estimate at a quarter of its worst case and reaches its full worst case at the top of the published interval, but it can never release the gates that open the high-access or effectively-restricted bands — those read confirmed findings only. Every result therefore ships as estimate, interval, evidence coverage and confidence together.

    • Prohibition or closed entry0.00 pts (range 0–0 of 100)

      Confirmed by a cited official source and graded no access effect (definitional or permissive) (0 access points). The cited text requires a licence and bars subleasing and fireworks — operating rules, not eligibility.

    • Owner-occupancy or primary residence0.00 pts (range 0–0 of 100)

      Confirmed by a cited official source and graded no access effect (definitional or permissive) (0 access points). A non-owner-occupied unit may operate by designating a local person in charge within 15 miles.

    • Zoning eligibility, caps, density or spacing100.00 pts (range 100–100 of 65)

      Confirmed by a cited official source and graded severe market-access trigger (100 access points). Transient dwelling use is allowed only in the Commercial and Recreational districts, excluding residential inventory.

    • Minimum or maximum stay0.00 pts (range 0–0 of 35)

      Confirmed by a cited official source and graded no access effect (definitional or permissive) (0 access points). A sub-30-day definition of the regulated use.

    • Permit, licence, or registration22.00 pts (range 22–22 of 22)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 22 of 100 operating points.

    • Inspection or life-safety certification16.00 pts (range 16–16 of 16)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 16 of 100 operating points.

    • Occupancy and parking14.00 pts (range 14–14 of 14)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 14 of 100 operating points.

    • Enforcement and penalties14.00 pts (range 14–14 of 14)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 14 of 100 operating points.

    • Local responsible party12.00 pts (range 12–12 of 12)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 12 of 100 operating points.

    • Renewal or transfer10.00 pts (range 10–10 of 10)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 10 of 100 operating points.

    • Advertising and listing rules7.00 pts (range 7–7 of 7)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 7 of 100 operating points.

    • Lodging tax or fees5.00 pts (range 5–5 of 5)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 5 of 100 operating points.

    The rubric

    How the category is set on the 0–100 scale: 80+ reads very high / effectively restricted and requires a documented severe market-access trigger; 60–79 reads high access constraints and requires a documented major access constraint (or two moderate ones); 40–59 reads moderate / structured, which is the ceiling for jurisdictions whose confirmed rules are operating requirements only; 20–39 reads lower regulatory burden; below 20 reads minimal STR-specific burden located. A documented official-source search that resolves criteria and finds no short-term-rental-specific requirement reads “no local STR-specific regulation located in reviewed official sources” — which is not a statement that operating here is unrestricted, legal, or low-risk. Unconfirmed criteria never count as permissive. How to confirm the rest yourself.

    Who to ask in Pocono Township, Pennsylvania

    Department-level contact details as published on the jurisdiction’s own website. We do not publish individual staff contact information.

    • Pocono Township Zoning and Code Enforcement Office

      Transient dwelling use licence applications, inspections, and compliance

      570-629-1922

      Published at this official page · checked

    General research checklist (not Pocono Township, Pennsylvania specific)

    These are the categories short-term rental owners check anywhere in the US. They are general prompts, not this jurisdiction’s ordinance.

    Occupancy limits
    Most jurisdictions tie maximum overnight occupancy to bedroom count, septic capacity, or a fixed cap. Confirm the current figure for your specific parcel with Pocono Township before advertising a sleeping capacity.
    Parking
    On-site parking counts and prohibitions on street or shoulder parking are among the most commonly enforced short-term rental provisions. Verify the required count with Pocono Township and state it plainly in your listing.
    Life-safety requirements
    Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers, egress, and posted evacuation information are typical requirements. Some jurisdictions inspect; others self-certify. Verify which applies.
    Local responsible party
    Many ordinances require a named local contact who can respond to the property within a set time. Confirm whether a contact is required, what response window applies, and how it must be filed with Pocono Township.
    Renewal and enforcement
    Registrations and permits generally renew on a fixed cycle, and enforcement is usually complaint-driven with escalating penalties. Confirm the renewal date, fee, and enforcement process with Pocono Township.
    Lodging and sales tax
    State and local lodging or occupancy taxes may be collected by the booking platform, by you, or split. Confirm current collection responsibility with both the taxing authority and your platform — platform collection agreements change.

    Confirm these directly — we could not verify them

    We publish gaps rather than guesses. The following were not confirmable from a current official source at our last review.

    • Needs confirmation — the current licence fee, which is set by the township fee schedule rather than the code text. Third-party figures circulate; do not rely on them.
    • Needs confirmation — whether any minimum-stay rule applies.
    • Needs confirmation — how the sewage-permit bedroom cap is documented for older homes with no permit on record.
    • Needs confirmation — a published township email for the zoning and code enforcement office.

    Official sources

    Government sources only. If a link has moved, go to the jurisdiction’s main site and search for short-term or vacation rentals.

    Change log

    • — Entry created from Chapter 302 as codified (adopted 2019, amended 2021 and 2025) and the township's official application form.

    Operating a rental here?

    Compliance is the owner’s responsibility in every model, including ours. What a co-host can do is keep the listing, messaging, and pricing consistent with the rules you confirm.

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    Nearby jurisdictions

    Found a change in Pocono Township, Pennsylvania?

    Send the official link and we'll re-verify this entry. We'd rather correct it than leave a stale requirement up.

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