Daily Regulatory Notes 04/14/2025
Cities address STRs. Sedona, AZ approves amendments; Philipstown, NY drafts regulations; Peninsula Township, MI strengthens enforcement; York. ME holds public forum; Vista, CA files lawsuit. READ MORE.
Every day, we bring you a detailed overview of recent news and updates about primary decisions, community feedback, or legislative changes relevant to the short-term rental industry. 📰
Sedona’s City Council approved a series of detailed amendments to its short-term rental ordinance on March 25 reinforcing its strategy to curb the spread of STRs in residential areas.
The new rules require individual permits for each STR unit, tighten enforcement against unpermitted rentals, and penalize late renewals even if existing bookings continue. Clarified language now mandates STR listings be removed upon a property’s sale and prohibits marketing properties for events.
Philipstown’s Town Board voted April 3 to form a committee that will draft a permitting system and set operating standards for short-term rentals booked on platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo.
The new local regulations would apply to properties outside the Village of Cold Spring, which adopted its own short-term rental ordinance in 2021 but has not yet enforced it. This renewed push for STR oversight follows past resident complaints and recent safety concerns, including a fatal fire in a nearby unregulated Airbnb.
Peninsula Township is intensifying its enforcement against short-term rentals with a new civil fine schedule, unanimously adopted by the Township Board on March 26 via Resolution 2025-03-26 #1.
The ordinance prohibits rentals of non-owner-occupied properties for fewer than 30 days outside commercially zoned areas, and violations now carry steep fines—starting at $500 and escalating to $5,000 for repeat offenses.
York’s Short-Term Rental Committee held a public forum last week as it works toward an August recommendation on whether to propose regulating STRs in town.
Read the ordinance here.
Opponents voiced concerns over potential fees and regulatory overreach, while supporters warned of corporate ownership, inflated property values, and neighborhood safety issues. The committee is expected to debate its final recommendation in the coming months, which could lead to a new vote on a proposed ordinance as early as November.
The City of Vista has filed a civil lawsuit against a property owner for operating an unlicensed short-term rental the city says became a chronic public nuisance. Neighbors on Crescent Drive described over a year of loud, out-of-control parties at the property, listed as “The Fun House” on Airbnb and Vrbo.
The lawsuit seeks nearly $18,000 in fines, unpaid taxes, and penalties of $1,500 for each day the STR operated illegally. Officials say the property was never licensed under Vista’s new short-term rental ordinance, which has been effective since July 1, 2024. After multiple warnings and continued violations, the city has now escalated enforcement.
In case you missed it:
Genelaine Urbano
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Dane Artisola
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