Daily Regulatory Notes 10/3/2024

Clark County, NV
Short-term rental operators are facing a backlog now at more than 600 applications, with only 64 of 831 being approved so far. One of the major reasons for the backlog is the original lottery system, distance requirements, and appeals hearings required for any denial. This leads to a system where the approval or denial of an applicant impacts whether another applicant can be approved.

Homeowners, however, argue they want to rent legally but face a slow licensing process. According to Clark County, out of the total 831 short term applications submitted, there's a backlog of more than 600. Only about 64 have been approved so far. The pre-application process opened in 2022, and the deadline to apply was in August of last year. - With 10,000 short-term rentals, most in Las Vegas are operating illegally

New Orleans, LA

Swifties are coming for New Orleans. Can you rent your house or apartment to them? NOLA breaks it down and helps you understand local requirements. Ultimately it may come down to:

"The question will be whether renters – and owners – who violate the city’s STR ordinances create bad blood between them and the city, or whether for the weekend the city just shakes it off," Richardson said. - Can I rent my house or apartment for Taylor Swift weekend? See the rules in New Orleans.

Palm Springs, CA

Palm Springs Administrative Appeals Board is considering updates to Palm Springs’ vacation rental ordinance. The changes would primarily be targeted at better informing the community and owner’s what the rules are to prevent miscommunication that have led to owner’s coming before the board to say they were unaware of the rules when they purchased the property. One proposal would require title and escrow companies to include a document "What to do if you are planning on renting your property”.

A review of license appeal cases over the past two years revealed that only 0.05% of cases were overturned. That low rate prompted questions about how well the community understands the ordinances. - Board to consider proposal to boost vacation rental compliance through enhanced outreach

Logan, UT

The Logan City Council approved a revised ordinances that changes the requirements for short-term rentals and accessory dwelling units (ADUs). A few of the new requirements for STRs:

• Atleast 750 feet (from the property line) between short-term rentals. An exemption was approved to allow owner occupied STRs within 750 of another short-term rental.
• Restricts the total permitted STRs to 2 per 1,000 population. Given current population that would allow ~90 STRs.

“I don’t think anyone is super happy or excited about it, but it’s a good compromise,” said Mark Anderson. Logan’s code enforcement relies on resident complaints. Council Chair Amy Anderson told the Herald Journal Wednesday she understands it can be difficult for some people who feel they are calling out their neighbors. = Logan City Council compromises on short-term rental restrictions

Narragansett, RI

Superior Court Judge Sarah Taft-Carter has issued a temporary restraining order for the town’s license program that would limit the number of short-term rentals. It was planned to go into effect on September 1. For now it sits in limbo while the case is considered.

Taft-Carter found their arguments persuasive. “The State has an interest in promoting tourism and development through regulating tourist and transient use rentals; and there is a public interest in avoiding a system of patchwork legislation regulating short-term rental registration so that a statewide system of uniform regulation is desirable,” the judge wrote. - Judge temporarily halts Narragansett’s new rule limiting short-term rentals - The Boston Globe

Albuquerque, NM

The Albuquerque Journal spoke with Car Vidal, a short-term rental owner who operates almost 30 across the city, about his experience speaking before City Council in early September about Ordinance O-24-40.

The ordinance would have required a separation requirement between STR permits in some areas of the city. Ultimately, the ordinance wasn’t approved and failed on a 6-3 vote. Council Member Baca, Fiebelkorn, and Rogers voted for the ordinance with the remainder of the council voting against. Video of Council discussion begins at 2:53:58

Grass Valley, CA

Over the last several months city officials have been working with ~80 vacation rentals that were out of compliance, all but 5 have come into compliance. Now the city is holding a permit revocation on October 9 at 10:30 am. The properties included are 352 Marshall Street, 229 Hughes Road, 477 South Auburn Street, 311 East Main, and 112 Ocean Ave.

Stowe, VT

The town has hired Deckard Technologies to run the town’s short-term rental registration system. It will go into effect next spring, but the goal will be to have the portal up by end of year.

The town will pay Deckard up to $43,000 for its first year, and $38,000 after that. Safford said the town had not budgeted for the expense but said it can offset that cost with fees, a topic for a future board discussion. The selectboard last winter narrowly adopted a compulsory short-term rental ordinance just before Town Meeting Day, but residents opposed to a mandatory registry who preferred a more voluntary form of data collection swiftly forced a referendum on the issue. - Rental registry firm hired for Stowe