Milton Planning Board Advances Short-Term Rental Bylaw Draft Toward Fall Town Meeting

MILTON -- June 25, 2026, Milton moves toward a short-term rental registry with a $500 fee and a 120-day annual cap. The Planning Board spent most of its June 25 meeting working through a draft bylaw with land-use attorney Carolyn Murray, agreeing to require owner occupancy, set registration and inspection fees at $250 each, remove a proposed 4 percent town-wide license cap, and adopt Great Barrington's approach limiting events requiring permits for amplified music or tents. Planning Director Liz Manny confirmed that the state's Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities has approved the town's economic feasibility analysis for MBTA Communities zoning. The board also voted 4-1 to appoint Lindsay Sands and Mark Christo to the reconstituted Master Plan Committee, with Member Hal Munger abstaining and stating on the record, "This board is not living up to what it says its priorities are," after his push to include a Precinct 1 candidate was outvoted by colleagues who cited the professional depth of the Precinct 2 nominees.