Daily Regulatory Notes 11/05/2025
Cities address STRs. Kentucky discusses enforcement; Columbia, MO approves regulations; Ottawa County, OH prepares for hearing; West Fargo, ND approves ordinance; Youngstown, NY drafts regulations; St. Clairsville. OH considers rules; West Hartford, CT. READ MORE.
Kentucky
Airbnb enforcement and tax compliance took center stage at the London–Laurel County Tourist Commission’s Oct. 21 meeting, where officials discussed new measures to ensure hosts and restaurants pay required local taxes.
Commissioners said many Airbnb operators continue to avoid reporting or remitting the transient tax, prompting calls for a local permit system to track listings and require education before licensing. Executive Director Kim Collier said a new county ordinance to regulate and monitor Airbnbs is expected by late November, alongside a state-level case accusing Airbnb of failing to collect local lodging taxes in smaller Kentucky communities.
Columbia is ramping up short-term rental enforcement after the City Council unanimously approved a $58,000 agreement with Avenu Insights & Analytics to monitor and track compliance.
The five-year contract will allow the company to scan listings across 80 platforms, flag unlicensed rentals, and help ensure collection of the city’s 5% accommodation tax. Officials say only about 25% of Columbia’s estimated 475 rentals are currently licensed.
The debate over short-term rental regulation in Ohio is heating up as lawmakers prepare for a public hearing on Senate Bill 104, which would bar municipalities and townships from banning Airbnbs and similar rentals.
Senate Bill 104
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Delaware, seeks to safeguard homeowners’ rights to rent out their properties while standardizing tax collection statewide. The proposal would prevent local zoning restrictions and owner-occupancy mandates but still require lodging taxes to be collected by platforms. Organized by Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, the hearing will be held Thursday in Oak Harbor.
West Fargo is finalizing a new short-term rental ordinance after nearly a year of debate, requiring all properties to be licensed but dropping an earlier proposal that rentals must be an owner’s primary residence.
The City Commission unanimously approved the ordinance’s second reading on Nov. 3, setting an annual $100 licensing fee and occupancy limits based on city building codes. The measure goes into effect July 1, 2026, with licenses valid from July through June each year.
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The Village of Youngstown is moving closer to finalizing short-term rental regulations that would restrict STRs to commercially zoned areas and require annual registration.
Under the draft rules, property owners must pay a $100 yearly fee, provide proof of insurance, and be reachable 24/7 within 60 minutes of a call. The proposal also limits occupancy to two guests per bedroom plus two and bans tents or camping on-site. Existing rentals outside the commercial zones would be grandfathered in, as the village refines details following its October public hearing.
The City of St. Clairsville is considering whether to establish formal rules for short-term rentals after Planning and Zoning Administrator Tom Murphy raised the issue with council.
Murphy said the city has guidelines for bed-and-breakfasts but not for Airbnbs, though only two are currently operating. While some council members argued the city shouldn’t regulate without clear problems, others said modest oversight could ensure neighborhood stability. No vote was taken, but the council signaled interest in further reviewing the issue.
A Hartford Superior Court judge has ruled in favor of a West Hartford property owner, allowing three historic homes near Blue Back Square to continue operating as short-term rentals.
The town’s zoning board had previously deemed the Airbnb use illegal, but Judge Victoria Chavey said the zoning laws make no distinction between short- and long-term rentals. The decision follows a 2023 Connecticut Supreme Court ruling that similarly expanded property owners’ rights to use homes for short stays.
In case you missed it:
Genelaine Urbano
Crystel
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