Can a local French mairie ban Airbnb listings?

Reader Question: Whenever I have friends come to visit me I recommend they get an Airbnb, as my home is small. However, I have heard the new mayor wants to ban Airbnbs in my town. Can they do this?

The issue of Airbnbs was central in the recent 2026 municipal elections, in both major cities such as Paris and smaller communes. 

In the capital, newly elected Emmanuel Grégoire ran on a platform that included limiting Airbnb and other short-term furnished lets.

A 2025 study by think tank Terram showed more than 80 % of communes in France had at least one Airbnb, compared to only 15% with at least one official hotel, making Airbnb proliferation a widespread issue. 

New laws limit Airbnbs

While mairies cannot completely ban short-term lets in their commune, it has become increasingly complex for people to use properties as such in many large cities which require a ‘change of use’ permission application for this. In some cases, as in Paris, you must show that you have, in compensation, turned another commercial property into a home. 

A so-called ‘anti-Airbnb’-law passed in 2024 also provides mairies with additional powersl including the ability for them to limit the number of days a person may rent out their own main home on sites such as Airbnb to a maximum of 90 days if they wish (stricter than the national 120-day limit).

Maximum fines for illegal listings now reach €100,000 per property.

Areas classified as zones tendues (facing a housing shortage) can see additional limits applied, such as a quota on the number of properties in the commune that may be used for short-term letting.

Communes so designated, or having more than 20% of second homes, can also pass requirements for all newly-built properties in certain zones to be primary residences, limiting the ability for them to be listed on Airbnb and similar websites.

By May 20, all people looking to list a property on Airbnb will need to register it with their mairie, receiving a registration number for their listing. 

Once properties are registered, this information can then be used by local authorities to track the listing and ensure that limits on renting the property are kept.

Local authorities can also, if necessary, suspend a certain listing number and ask platforms such as Airbnb to suspend a listing in the case of breaches of relevant regulations.

Recent cases have seen Airbnb owners in Lille fined €33,000 for failing to properly declare their property.