Daily Regulatory Notes 05/22/2025
Cities address STRs. Rhode Island revisits enforcement; Warren County, NY reminds compliance; Citrus County, FL & Iberia Parish, LA discuss enforcement; Danville, VA proposes rules; Ocean City, MD schedules special referendum. 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. 📰
Rhode Island
Short-term rentals continue to stir controversy in Rhode Island, where local and state governments are tightening rules while homeowners like Danielle Alba say it’s getting harder to operate legally.
Some cities, like Newport and Narragansett, have imposed strict zoning rules and registration requirements, often overlapping with the state’s own registry launched in 2022. Discrepancies in rental data and uneven enforcement—no fines have been issued by the state—add to the confusion.
Warren County is warning short-term rental (STR) owners to register and ensure compliance with both New York State Sales Tax and County Occupancy Tax requirements, especially following a new state law effective March 1, 2025.
Platforms like VRBO are now remitting both taxes directly, but others—like Airbnb—may only be covering state sales tax. Owners could face $1,000 fines, plus retroactive penalties and interest, if they fail to verify that all required taxes are being collected and submitted.
Citrus County is moving closer to adopting short-term rental monitoring software from GovOS as it seeks to close persistent gaps in tourism tax collection.
With the GovOS system, county officials hope to identify noncompliant properties, track rental activity, and ensure tax revenue is being fairly collected and redistributed. The Tourist Development Council expects to review the software proposal in July and will hold a strategic retreat on May 22 to chart the county’s future tourism priorities.
```Danville’s Board of Zoning Appeals is pushing for a clearer set of rules before approving special-exception permits for short-term rentals, after seeing a wave of incomplete and premature applications.
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At its May 12 meeting, board member Ann Sasser Evans outlined a checklist of proposed conditions—ranging from requiring a local property manager to ensuring construction is complete before approval—to prevent rushed or noncompliant projects. The board wants applications delayed or denied if requirements aren't met and is requesting new tools like maps in neighborhood notices and law enforcement access to approved permit lists.
Ocean City has scheduled a special referendum for July 22 to decide the fate of Ordinance 2025-04 which aims to ban short-term rentals in the city’s single-family residential and mobile home zones starting in 2027.
The ballot question comes after more than 1,000 residents signed a petition challenging the new law, which sets minimum stay requirements before phasing in a full ban. Council members who supported the measure cited repeated complaints from year-round residents about STR-related disturbances and emphasized the zoning code’s intent to keep business uses out of R1 and MH districts. However, opponents of the ban argue it unfairly penalizes homeowners who rely on rental income to keep their properties.
```Residents of Bayou Jack in Iberia Parish say their once-quiet neighborhood is in decline, and many point to the rise of unregulated short-term rentals as a key cause.
With no current ordinance to regulate STRs in the parish, visitors come and go at all hours, adding to local frustrations. Despite District 10 Councilman Brock Pellerin raising concerns with parish administration months ago, residents say they’ve seen no action—and they’re fed up. Pellerin acknowledged the delays, calling for quicker responses to what he says are solvable issues.
In case you missed it:
Genelaine Urbano
READ: Global Regulatory Notes (9)
Genelaine Urbano
READ: 05/21/2025 Daily Regulatory Notes
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