Airbnb · Quebec City · 2026 rules
Can you rent out your principal residence on Airbnb in Quebec City, and where is a unit bought for short-term rental allowed? The city's rules, checked against its by-laws on October 19, 2026, the Quebec framework and the purchase price of a house or condo according to Centris.
Renting out your own principal residence short-term is allowed in Quebec City, but with limits; buying a unit to rent it on Airbnb year-round (tourist residence) is possible only in specific zones. To buy, count on $480,000 for a house and $335,000 for a condo at the 2026 median price (Centris). Rules checked on October 19, 2026.
The short answer
Renting out your own principal residence short-term is allowed in Quebec City, but with limits; buying a unit to rent it on Airbnb year-round (tourist residence) is possible only in specific zones. To buy, count on $480,000 for a house and $335,000 for a condo at the 2026 median price (Centris).
Renting out your principal residence in Quebec City: allowed, with limits
The City calls this use « hébergement touristique collaboratif » (collaborative tourist accommodation): renting all or part of your principal residence (owner or tenant) to tourists, permitted everywhere in the territory as a use associated with a dwelling, for a maximum of 90 nights per calendar year, a single group at a time, with a municipal certificate of authorization valid for 12 months.
Buying to rent year-round in Quebec City: only in some zones
A unit that is not your principal residence, rented by the night or the week all year, is a "tourist residence". The law does not protect it: the city decides through its zoning where it is allowed.
A dwelling that is not the principal residence falls under the use « C10 établissement d'hébergement touristique général » (C10 general tourist accommodation establishment; merger of the former hotel and tourist residence uses in 2019), authorized only in zones whose specifications grid permits it; the City refers to the lot's zoning sheet (interactive map or 311). Since April 2026, temporary freeze on new commercial tourist accommodation establishments in certain sectors of Vieux-Québec and its surroundings.
The by-law in Quebec City
- By-law: R.V.Q. 2730, By-law amending the Harmonization By-law on Urban Planning and the borough by-laws on urban planning with respect to tourist accommodation, adopted on June 3, 2019, in force on September 4, 2019 (collaborative accommodation as of September 30, 2019).
- Municipal permit or certificate: Principal residence: certificate of authorization from the City, valid for 12 months, $260 for 2026. Commercial accommodation (C10): compliance notice from the City before provincial registration and certificate of authorization for operating the use (fees not indicated on the page).
- Recent change: Revision of the regulations on use C10 in 2025; temporary freeze introduced in April 2026 on new commercial tourist accommodation establishments in certain sectors of Vieux-Québec and its surroundings, pending a by-law that will limit or prohibit this use where housing must remain the priority (consultations in late summer and fall 2026).
What buying costs in Quebec City
- House (single-family): $480,000 at the 2026 median, from 2,277 sales, +85% since 2019.
- Condo: $335,000 at the 2026 median, from 1,830 sales, +71% since 2019.
| Year | House, median price | Sales | Condo, median price | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $250,000 | 2,795 | $194,500 | 1,369 |
| 2017 | $250,750 | 2,849 | $194,000 | 1,441 |
| 2018 | $252,000 | 3,011 | $194,250 | 1,505 |
| 2019 | $260,000 | 3,379 | $195,650 | 1,751 |
| 2020 | $270,000 | 3,980 | $195,000 | 2,357 |
| 2021 | $310,000 | 3,435 | $210,000 | 2,744 |
| 2022 | $339,000 | 3,070 | $235,000 | 2,346 |
| 2023 | $350,000 | 2,901 | $245,000 | 2,263 |
| 2024 | $384,000 | 3,213 | $274,950 | 2,573 |
| 2025 | $450,000 | 3,356 | $315,000 | 2,567 |
| 2026 (since January) | $480,000 | 2,277 | $335,000 | 1,830 |
Quebec's rules, the same everywhere
- Registration is mandatory. Renting a unit to tourists for 31 days or less requires registration with the Ministère du Tourisme and a certificate renewed every year: $54 for a principal residence establishment, $156 for a general tourist accommodation establishment (tourist residence). Since April 9, 2026, the number must appear in every listing, social media included.
- The city decides where. The registration application must include a document from the municipality confirming that the use complies with its zoning (Tourist Accommodation Act, s. 5). A notice of non-compliance prevents the application from being filed.
- The principal residence is protected, but not without limits. Since March 25, 2023, a municipal by-law can prohibit renting out a principal residence only through a zoning amendment adopted under an adapted referendum procedure (s. 23). Several cities have done it, zone by zone.
- Principal residence means where you actually live. It is the address you give to most government departments and bodies. Since September 1, 2026, two proofs of principal residence are required at registration and at renewal.
- In a condo, the syndicate signs every year. You need the declaration of co-ownership allowing the operation or the syndicate's authorization, and since September 1, 2026 that consent is required at every renewal, not only the first time.
- Registration does not transfer. A seller's Airbnb income was earned under their file. The buyer starts over, under the rules in force on the day of the application.
The detail, section by section: Quebec's 2026 short-term rental rules, what changed on September 1, 2026, Airbnb in a condo and the fines.
Before making an offer in Quebec City
- The zone of the address, not the city. In Quebec City as elsewhere, the rule changes from one zone to the next. Ask the planning department for the exact zone and the use grid, or for the zoning compliance notice, before the offer.
- The declaration of co-ownership. For a condo, read the clause on rentals and the building's destination: a syndicate can refuse, and must now consent at every renewal.
- The seller's certificate. If the seller already operates, ask for the registration certificate (class, expiry date, number of units), not just the number. It will not be transferred to you.
- The return without Airbnb. Price the property as if short-term rental became impossible tomorrow: it is the only assumption that does not depend on a by-law or a syndicate vote. Our five checks before buying to rent short-term set out the order.
Our other pages in Quebec City:
Each page is built from actual Centris sales and listings, aggregates only.
Property taxes in Quebec City:
The tax bill, increase and rate published by the city for 2026, the assessment roll year and the school tax, with sources.
What a condo garage is worth in Quebec City:
Median price of condos with indoor parking versus all condos, year by year since 2016, and the share of sales with a garage.
Frequently asked questions
Can you do Airbnb in Quebec City?
Yes for your principal residence, with limits specific to Quebec City. For a unit bought to be rented year-round (tourist residence), only in specific zones.
Do you need a permit to rent on Airbnb in Quebec City?
Principal residence: certificate of authorization from the City, valid for 12 months, $260 for 2026. Commercial accommodation (C10): compliance notice from the City before provincial registration and certificate of authorization for operating the use (fees not indicated on the page). In every case, provincial registration ($54 or $156 a year) and the municipal zoning compliance document are mandatory.
Can you buy a condo to rent on Airbnb in Quebec City?
Yes, if the zone allows it and if the declaration of co-ownership or the syndicate authorizes it. For a condo that is not your principal residence, the municipal tourist-residence rule also applies: only in specific zones.
What does a property cost in Quebec City in 2026?
House (single-family): $480,000 at the 2026 median, from 2,277 sales, +85% since 2019. Condo: $335,000 at the 2026 median, from 1,830 sales, +71% since 2019.
All cities side by side: Airbnb in Quebec, the rules of 74 cities.
Sources
Municipal rules in Quebec City checked on October 19, 2026:
- R.V.Q. 2730, Règlement modifiant le Règlement d'harmonisation sur l'urbanisme... relativement à l'hébergement touristique (official source, in French, 2019-06-03)
- Hébergement touristique commercial (official source, in French, 2026)
- Hébergement touristique collaboratif, Ville de Québec (other source, in French, consulté 2026-10-19)
Quebec framework:
- Tourist Accommodation Act (CQLR, c. H-1.01), ss. 5, 23 and 52 (LégisQuébec, current to August 12, 2026)
- Tourist Accommodation Regulation (H-1.01, r. 1) (LégisQuébec, current to July 1, 2026)
- Registering a tourist accommodation establishment (in French) (Québec.ca, updated September 24, 2026)
Prices: Centris (Matrix), Statistics module, query of September 16, 2026 for all of Quebec City, Single-family and Condominium categories, median sale price and number of sales per year; 2026 since January; years with fewer than 10 sales left blank; compiled by the Loaa & Manseur team, aggregates only. This page informs: it is neither legal nor tax advice, and a by-law can change after the date it was checked.
Also available in French: version française de ce guide.
Published September 7, 2026 by the Loaa & Manseur team, the number 1 team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025, 6th RE/MAX team in Quebec, 15th in Canada and in the global top 50 according to the official RE/MAX ranking. Tell us about your project.