Airbnb in Menton: the 2026 rules explained for owners

Who sets the short-let rules in Menton?

Menton belongs to the Communauté d'agglomération de la Riviera Française (CARF), a grouping of fifteen communes in the east of the Alpes-Maritimes, from Beausoleil and La Turbie to the Roya valley. The CARF does not rule on change of use: in Menton, the town council created the regime and the mayor grants the authorisations.

The direct consequence: the change-of-use regulation adopted by the Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur (resolution of 22 June 2026, 5-year temporary authorisations, quota zones) does not cover Menton, which is not part of the Métropole. The quotas, the IRIS zones and the one-authorisation-per-household rule you may have read about for Nice do not apply here.

National rules, on the other hand, do apply: the Tourism Code (registration, cap on days for a main residence), the Construction and Housing Code (change of use, penalties) and the law of 19 November 2024, known as the Le Meur law (energy rating, co-ownership, mayors' powers). To compare with Nice, our guide to Airbnb regulations in Nice covers the other regime.

Main residence: 120 days a year and a registration

If the property is your main residence, you do not need a change-of-use authorisation. The 2017 municipal resolution says so explicitly. It defines a main residence as a home occupied for at least eight months a year, except for work obligations, health reasons or force majeure.

Holiday letting of your main residence is still capped. When we checked, the commune's official portal showed a cap of 120 days a year. The Le Meur law lets communes lower this cap to 90 days by resolution. To our knowledge, Menton has not done so: we found no resolution to that effect. Check with the town hall before planning your calendar, as a decision could come at any time.

Even for a main residence, declaring the property to the town hall is compulsory, and the number you are given must appear on your listings (see below).

• The cap counts nights let per calendar year, across all platforms.
• Keep your own tally: it is up to you to prove you respect the cap if the town hall asks.
• Beyond the cap, the property is no longer simply a main residence let occasionally, and the question of change of use arises.

Second home: the change-of-use authorisation

Repeatedly letting a home that is not your main residence for short stays counts as a change of use under the Construction and Housing Code. By resolution no. 204/17 of 30 October 2017, Menton town council made this change subject to the mayor's prior authorisation, under article L631-9 of the Code. The resolution notes that Menton lies in a 'zone tendue' (high-pressure housing area). The regime has applied across the whole commune since 1 January 2018.

The conditions set by the resolution are:

• A maximum of three authorisations per owner, for separate dwellings.
• A personal, non-transferable authorisation: it does not follow the property if you sell.
• No compensation: unlike in Nice, you do not have to convert another space into housing.
• A term of 2 years, renewable twice, so 6 years at most. When renewing, you attach a copy of the previous authorisation.
• Decent housing standards under decree no. 2002-120 of 30 January 2002.
• In a co-owned building: an extract of the co-ownership rules showing they do not prohibit the change of use (or, for a tenant, a certificate from the owner).

Applications are filed on the DéclaLoc online service, as indicated by the commune's official portal. The resolution dates from 2017, and we found no published amendment since. Durations and the maximum number of authorisations could still be changed by a new resolution, so confirm them with the town planning department before applying.

Letting without authorisation exposes you to a civil fine of up to €100,000 per dwelling (article L651-2 of the Construction and Housing Code, as amended by the law of 19 November 2024), plus an order to return the property to residential use, with daily penalties.

Town hall declaration and registration number

Menton introduced the registration procedure for holiday lets in a second resolution passed the same day (no. 205/17 of 30 October 2017). In practice, you declare on DéclaLoc, which issues a 13-character registration number. This number must appear on all your listings and be given to the platforms that market your property.

The Le Meur law extends registration to every commune through a national online service. The commune's portal states that its launch, first planned for 20 May 2026, has been pushed back to the last quarter of 2026 with no precise date. It adds that properties already declared on DéclaLoc will also have to be registered on the national tool once it opens. Change-of-use applications, meanwhile, still go through DéclaLoc.

Common pitfalls are a missing number, the number of another property or an incomplete address. Check your listing carefully after each change to the property or its status.

Tourist tax in Menton: who collects it and how much

In Menton, the tourist tax (taxe de séjour) is set and managed by the commune on a 'real' basis: guests pay it per adult per night. The proceeds fund spending that supports tourism. The managing department is based at the Palais de l'Europe, avenue Boyer.

For unclassified furnished lets, the rate from 1 January 2026 is 5% of the pre-tax price per person per night, capped at €4.90, plus the 34% additional tax. The official portal specifies that in the Alpes-Maritimes this 34% surcharge goes to the Société de la Ligne Nouvelle Provence Côte d'Azur (the new rail line company). Star-classified lets pay fixed nightly rates, published on the same portal.

Airbnb, acting as payment intermediary, collects and remits the tax on the nights it sells. For direct bookings, or through a platform that does not collect, it is up to you to collect, declare and remit. At the start of each month the commune invites you to declare the previous month's nights before the 15th. If you had no direct bookings, a nil return is enough.

Co-ownership, energy rating and tax: the national rules

Co-ownership. A municipal authorisation does not override your building's co-ownership rules, and Menton's resolution specifically asks for an extract of them. Since the Le Meur law, co-ownership rules must state explicitly whether holiday lets are allowed or banned, and some general meeting decisions have become easier to pass. Our guide to co-ownership rules and the Le Meur law explains what has changed.

Energy rating (DPE). A holiday let in a second home must have an energy performance certificate rated A to E in mainland France, then A to D from 2034. Our page on the energy rating for holiday lets explains how to check your label and plan works.

Tax. The rules are the same as in Nice. Under micro-BIC on 2026 income, an unclassified holiday let gets a 30% allowance up to €15,000 of income, and a classified let 50% up to €83,600. Classification means a star rating. For your return, read our guide to declaring Airbnb income, and to choose between micro-BIC and the real regime, our 2026 LMNP guide. For your own situation, a chartered accountant is the right adviser.

Council tax. Menton describes itself as a high-pressure housing area in its 2017 resolution. In such communes the town council may apply a surcharge (from 5% to 60%) to council tax on second homes. Check the rate shown on your tax notice.

Menton's market: seasons, events and guests

Regulations set the frame, but the calendar drives your income. Menton lives to the rhythm of a few well-known highlights. In February, the Fête du Citron (Lemon Festival) fills the town in midwinter, when the rest of the coast is quiet. In spring, the Monaco Grand Prix (late May) and the wider agenda of the neighbouring Principality bring guests happy to stay a few kilometres away. Summer remains the beach season, from the Promenade du Soleil to Garavan, with the Menton Music Festival on the square of the Saint-Michel basilica from late July to early August.

Being close to Italy and Monaco widens the guest base: cross-border travellers, visitors to the Principality, longer off-season stays. Long stays are an asset, but mind the legal framework. A stay of several months may fall under another type of contract (furnished tenancy, mobility lease), with different rules.

For an overview of the neighbourhoods and our local service, see our Airbnb concierge in Menton page. If your property is near the border, see the page on Garavan. To prepare for Grand Prix week, our article on Airbnb during the Monaco Grand Prix, listed at the end of this page, sets out the method.

Checklist before publishing your Menton listing

Before the first booking, go through these points. They prevent most of the problems we see on the Riviera.

• Define the property: main residence (occupied at least 8 months a year) or second home.
• Second home: file a change-of-use application on DéclaLoc and wait for the decision before letting.
• Co-ownership: reread the rules and prepare the extract the town hall requires.
• Energy rating: check the label is between A and E.
• Declare the let on DéclaLoc and copy the 13-character number onto every listing.
• Tourist tax: open an account on the commune's platform and declare your direct nights each month, even when nil.
• Main residence: track the night count to stay under 120 days a year.
• Tax: consider a star rating and have your regime checked by a chartered accountant.

La Joyeuse Conciergerie, which holds a carte G professional licence (loi Hoguet), helps its owners with these formalities as part of its management service. Our offer: a 20% commission excl. VAT (24% incl. VAT) on income, all-inclusive and with no lock-in, a detailed report every Friday and a €250 emergency fund provided by the owner.

Sources and verification date

Information checked on 5 October 2026 against the following official sources. Regulations change: if in doubt, Menton town hall has the final word.

• Ville de Menton, resolution no. 204/17 of 30 October 2017: prior change-of-use authorisation (menton.fr).
• Ville de Menton, resolution no. 205/17 of 30 October 2017: registration procedure for holiday lets (referenced on menton.fr).
• Menton's official tourist tax and declarations portal (menton.taxesejour.fr): DéclaLoc, 120-day cap, 2026 rates, 34% additional tax, timetable for the national number.
• Service-public.fr, 'Mettre en location sa résidence secondaire' (F2043): energy rating A to E, then A to D in 2034; fine of up to €100,000.
• Légifrance, article L651-2 of the Construction and Housing Code; law no. 2024-1039 of 19 November 2024.
• Insee, intercommunality profile 'CA de la Riviera Française' (membership).
• DGFiP, 2026 note on the council tax surcharge for second homes (impots.gouv.fr).