Guide 9 of 12

Short-term rentals at Pennsylvania lakes: two layers of rules

References checked Oct 4, 2026.

Short answer: Two different sets of rules can limit renting a lake home by the night or week: the municipality's ordinances and the community's own documents. Check both, in writing, before you count on rental income. Nothing on this site says rentals are allowed anywhere.

Layer 1: the township or borough

Some lake-area municipalities have their own short-term-rental rules. On Oct 4, 2026, we found short-term-rental ordinance pages, ordinance documents or rental license pages online for 17 of the 46 municipalities that touch the lakes we profile.¹ For the other 29, we didn't find one online, which does not mean they have no rules. Each lake page links what we found, with the date, and never summarises it, because these rules can change.

When you read a municipal page, look for:

• whether a permit or license is required, and how long it takes;
• inspections, posted notices or local contacts the rules ask for;
• whether the zoning district where the home sits allows the use at all;
• related county forms. Some township rental pages link county hotel-room excise tax forms; Tobyhanna Township's rental page in Monroe County is one example.¹

Then ask the municipality directly whether this address has a current permit and whether a new owner must reapply. Get the answer in writing.

Layer 2: the community's documents

A private lake community may have its own rental rules in the declaration, bylaws or rules. In a planned community resale, the seller must give you the declaration (other than plats and plans), the bylaws and the association's rules or regulations with the resale certificate.² A condominium seller owes you the same three documents with the condominium resale certificate.³ The seller's disclosure form also asks about condominiums and other homeowners associations.⁴ Read the rental sections yourself during your five-day window.²

Treat the two layers separately: the municipality's rules and the community's rules each have to allow what you plan. Ask your attorney how they fit together for the home you want.

Watch for these in community documents

• minimum rental periods or a ban on rentals;
• registration with the association, fees or guest limits;
• rules about renters using the lake, beach, docks or boats;
• how rules can be amended, and by what vote.

One lake, more than one rulebook

When a lake touches two or more municipalities, each one has its own ordinances. Fourteen of the 34 lakes we profile touch more than one municipality, based on DEP's municipal boundary map layer.⁵ Our lake pages list every municipality that touches the lake, so check the rules of the one the property is actually in.

What we found, and where

Here is what some of the municipal pages we checked showed on Oct 4, 2026. These are examples of where to look, not summaries of the rules.¹

• Paupack Township (Wayne County) posts its short-term rental ordinance, with an amendment, on its Documents page, and keeps rental forms on a separate page.
• Lackawaxen Township (Pike County) lists "Ordinance 114 – Short Term Rentals" among its ordinances.
• Sadsbury Township (Crawford County) posts Ordinance 214-2024, its short-term rental ordinance.
• Tunkhannock Township (Monroe County) posts Ordinance 2019.01 on short-term rentals on its document page.
• Edinboro Borough (Erie County) lists a short-term rental license application on its zoning and code enforcement page.

Each lake page lists every municipality that touches the lake, with the link we found or our fixed "didn't find" sentence.

Where to look on a municipal website

• The ordinances or documents page. Rental rules are sometimes a separate ordinance and sometimes part of zoning.¹
• The zoning page and zoning map, to see which district the home is in.
• An online code. Several of the townships we checked link a code hosted on eCode360.¹
• Forms pages. A rental application or inspection checklist is a strong hint that rules exist.
• Recent meeting agendas and minutes, where proposed rental rules may appear before a vote.
• If you can't find anything, call or email the township office and ask for the answer in writing.

About our "didn't find" sentence

When we don't find a rental ordinance online, our pages say so with a fixed sentence and the date. Municipal websites differ. Among those we checked, some post every ordinance, some post only forms, and some post very little.¹ The sentence describes our search, not the township's rules.

Why we never say "allowed"

Ordinances can change, permits can lapse, and community rules can be amended. We can link to what we found on a date. We can't tell you that a specific home may be rented. Only the municipality, the community documents and your attorney can.

Questions to ask

• Can you rent the home short-term under both the township's ordinance and the community's rules?
• Does the home have a current rental permit or license? Does it transfer?
• Have there been complaints or violations at this address?
• What taxes or registrations apply to rentals here?

FAQ

The listing says "great rental income." Does that mean rentals are allowed?

No. Listings can't change municipal or community rules. Check both layers in writing.

Where do I find the community's rental rules?

In the declaration, bylaws and rules, which come with the resale certificate in a planned community resale.²

Your page says you didn't find an ordinance. Are rentals unrestricted?

No. It means we didn't find one online on the date shown. Ask the municipality, and read the community rules.

Does a rental permit transfer with the house?

It depends on the municipality. Ask the township in writing whether the permit is tied to the owner or to the property, and what a new owner must do.

Do county taxes apply too?

Possibly. Some township rental pages link county hotel-room excise tax forms; Tobyhanna Township's rental page links Monroe County's application.¹ Ask the county what applies.

Lakes where this comes up

• Arrowhead LakeMonroe County
• Hemlock LakePike County
• Penn LakeLuzerne County
• Conneaut LakeCrawford County
• Indian Mountain LakeMonroe County
• Lake ComoWayne County