Daily Regulatory Notes 08/25/2025
Cities address STRs. Galveston, TX reviews enforcement; Monterey County, GA approves rules; Adams County, CO reviews regulations; Pullman, WA schedules enforcement; Kodiak, AK advances draft; Las Vegas, NV handles lawsuit; Albany County, WY; Clayton, MO; Harris Township. PA. READ MORE.
Galveston’s Short-Term Rental Ad Hoc Committee emphasized the need for stronger accountability tools, pointing to shortcomings in the city’s current STR management software, Deckard.
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The committee agreed to monitor its performance for another year while preparing to open a procurement process for a replacement in the new fiscal year. Members also advanced initiatives to boost transparency, including a real estate addendum that would notify homebuyers of STR rules and a new public-facing website to explain local regulations, outline the three-strike violation policy, and set guest expectations
The California Coastal Commission has certified Monterey County’s long-discussed short-term rental ordinance in a 6–2 vote, ending years of public debate over how to regulate rentals along the coast.
The new rules ban commercial STRs in Big Sur and Carmel Highlands but permit homestays and limited short-term use, balancing concerns about housing loss with tourism demand. Efforts by commissioners to soften the restrictions or reduce the high permit costs were voted down, with opponents warning of reduced coastal access and supporters stressing the need to protect teachers, hospitality workers, and others being priced out.
At its Aug. 13 study session, Adams County’s Board of Commissioners reviewed a wide-ranging package of regulatory changes, including mandatory business licensing, regulation of private social clubs, and new tools for short-term rental oversight.
Leaders noted that while counties historically lacked the authority to license businesses, the success of a pandemic-era voluntary registry has fueled interest in a countywide licensing program that could improve transparency. Short-term rentals featured prominently in the discussion, with officials pointing to newly clarified state authority to license hosts and a potential lodging tax increase from 2% to 6% as a way to capture revenue from the sector.
Pullman’s new short-term rental rules are being enforced sooner than many hosts expected after a single complaint triggered a broad crackdown.
Regulations adopted in May require operators to obtain a city business license, submit emergency evacuation plans with lighted exit signage and detectors, pass building inspections, and secure annual permits to advertise on Airbnb or VRBO. Applications cost $200 upfront, though renewals are free. The enforcement effort surfaced during the latest council meeting, where candidate Trevor Vance challenged the crackdown, and two senior members who had voted against the ordinance signaled interest in revisiting the matter.
The Kodiak Island Borough Planning and Zoning Commission advanced work on overhauling short-term rental definitions, proposing a five-tier system to separate small, owner-occupied rentals from larger setups and bed-and-breakfasts.
The draft would limit STR 1 rentals to two guest rooms, define STRs in single- and multi-family zones, and require condo association approval where applicable. Commissioners also flagged inconsistencies around boarding house rules, with guest counts and “sleeping room” definitions needing cleanup.
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Airbnb has joined a federal lawsuit challenging Clark County’s enforcement of its strict short-term rental rules, escalating tensions over fines that can reach $10,000 per day and even result in liens or property seizure for unpaid penalties.
The suit, first brought by the Greater Las Vegas Short-Term Rental Association, seeks to block enforcement against unlicensed listings, arguing the county’s measures are excessive and potentially unconstitutional. Airbnb says it tried to work with county officials on fair rules that allow residents to responsibly share their homes, but claims those efforts have been ignored. The county has declined to comment while the case is pending.
Short-term rentals remain a thorny issue in Albany County, where planning commissioners spent meeting debating whether the Centennial area needs stricter oversight.
Commissioners acknowledged the challenges of defining when a rental crosses into commercial use, with some residents calling for regulation while others highlight the income and tourism benefits STRs bring. The commission noted that many complaints trace back to a single property, suggesting the problem may be more isolated than widespread, but agreed that surveying the community could give a clearer picture of local attitudes.
City leaders in Clayton voted unanimously to permit short-term rentals for the first time, but only in carefully defined circumstances.
Rentals will be limited to the downtown area, require both a conditional use permit and an STR occupancy permit, and be confined to stays of 2–29 days. The new law bans parties and weddings, allows no more than four STRs per building, and limits eligibility to buildings constructed before 1955, part of an effort to repurpose underused properties. Operators will need annual permits, which the city can revoke if rules aren’t followed.
Harris Township supervisors are wrestling with how to regulate short-term rentals as a draft ordinance nears the planning commission stage.
The ordinance would cap rentals at 120 days per year, mandate that new operators live on-site for most of the year, and impose strict parking rules requiring paved spaces for each bedroom, while also layering on insurance and septic documentation requirements. Existing non-owner-occupied STRs could continue but would lose their status if sold — a rule hosts claim violates state zoning law.
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Genelaine Urbano
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