Short-Term Rentals: Daily Notes | August 19, 2026

KENNETH SQUARE, PA

Airbnb and other vacation rentals now face a hard ceiling in one Chester County borough after council members voted unanimously to cap short-term rentals at 20 units on August 17 2026. Single-family homes can no longer become primary short-term rentals and future units will only be permitted in accessory spaces like garages or guest houses where the owner still lives on site.

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The roughly 22 existing rentals keep their status for now but lose it if the property sells or registration lapses. Council president Bob Norris said the goal is to sharply reduce future growth after residents raised concerns over shrinking housing stock and rising home prices across the borough.

COLUMBIA TOWNSHIP, MI

After months of public debate, board members serving a Jackson-area community voted unanimously on August 17 to pass a new short-term rental ordinance. Airbnb and VRBO hosts in Columbia Township must now secure a permit and meet compliance standards or face fines up to $1,000 along with possible permit revocation.

The approved ordinance removed a contested rule that would have limited every rental to 10 occupants. Maximum occupancy will instead follow the Michigan residential code and be calculated using square footage, ceiling height and sleeping room count, a shift meant to ease months of neighbor complaints about overcrowding.

LOUDONVILLE, OH

A proposed cap of 25 short-term rentals met resistance from local property owners at a Loudonville Village Council meeting on August 18, 2026 where members discussed a draft short-term rental ordinance. The plan would also require permits for every tourist home and confine new rentals mostly to the downtown district.

Village Solicitor Thom Gilman said the number reflects a common standard limiting rentals to 2 to 5% of local housing stock. Owners including Jillian Raby and Sam Shrock pushed back on the fixed limit while Councilman Bill Huffman said the council will gather more feedback before moving forward.

BAR HARBOR, ME

Housing policy changes at the state level are putting short-term rentals back on the agenda in one Maine town as Selectboard member Martha Dudman argued the town should take another look at short-term rental rules following passage of LD 2173 which mandates greater residential density statewide by July 2027.

Bar Harbor Hires Officer For Mount Desert as Full Merger Discussion Continues; Mount Desert Short-Term Rental Rules Will Likely Be Revisited.

The Selectboard also addressed a $121,000 funding shortfall for the Jordan Pond Road sewer project, concerns about trash at the town garage. Police Chief David Kerns, BHS file photo The Bar Harbor …

Bar Harbor Storycarriejonesbooks

Dudman said without added guardrails, the new law could push more homes toward investment use rather than year round living. Nearby Bar Harbor already caps non-primary rentals under a 2021 ordinance while Mount Desert voters rejected a similar licensing plan in May 2024 by a 134 to 72 margin.

GREENVILLE COUNTY, SC

A draft ordinance meant to bring order to a fast growing vacation rental market is nearly ready for a full council vote after Greenville County's short-term rental ad hoc committee met on August 17. Roughly 1200 short-term rentals now operate in the county's unincorporated areas with no system in place to track them, and that gap is estimated to cost the county close to $900000 a year in missed accommodations tax revenue.

The draft would require hosts to register with the zoning administrator and prove they have paid state and county lodging taxes, but members flagged thin staffing and conflicting language in the county's business registration ordinance before holding the measure in committee.

WESTERLY, RI

A Rhode Island town council pushed ahead with a short-term rental overhaul this week even though several members admitted they had never read the model ordinance guiding their vote. The Westerly Town Council directed its solicitor to draft new rules patterned on Newport's short-term rental ordinance and add a coastal village overlay district where unhosted rentals would be allowed.

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Town staff reported 442 registered short-term rentals with roughly 330 actively listed on Airbnb and Vrbo and eight cited for operating without registration. The solicitor's draft and Newport's referenced ordinance are due back on the council's August 31 agenda with any final rule to still need a public hearing before adoption.

DEWITT, NY

Repeated late night parties and loud music at a rental property in Dewitt have pushed local officials to act and draft a local law to ban short-term rentals after a wave of resident complaints, making it the latest Onondaga County town to take on the issue. Primarily two properties are driving most of the concern from neighbors.

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A five-bedroom five-bathroom home on Peck Hill Road has become a frequent gathering spot for large groups of tenants with neighbors reporting loud music well into the night. Another nearby rental advertised for corporate retreats and birthday parties has added to the frustration fueling the proposed ban.

MONTGOMERY, AL

Frustration over stalled short-term rental rules continued in Montgomery as the city council pushed its decision back for a second time at the August 18 meeting. One homeowner said residents now feel their only choice left is to sell and move out of the area. An Airbnb owner asked the council to simplify and clarify the ordinance while a U.S. Air Force member opposed a proposed 180 day rental cap that would apply while he is away for training.

Council members also questioned unresolved parking and property inspection rules. Councilman Oronde Mitchell requested the ordinance be held two weeks for a cleaner rewrite with the council to revisit the matter on September 9 at City Hall.

MIDWAY, UT

Utah's Midway City is weighing whether to tighten the map that decides where nightly rentals can legally operate. Planning commissioners voted to recommend removing several residential pockets from the Transient Rental Overlay District established in 2006 citing tight parking and closely spaced homes as poor fits for short-term stays.

Staff Report: Midway City TROD Zone Map Amendment, August 2026
Official Midway City Planning Commission materials showing proposed changes to the Transient Rental Overlay District (TROD) including residential areas recommended for removal from nightly-rental eligibility.

Read here

City official Camille Palmer said the removed zones simply were not built for nightly turnover. Three current rental licenses would be grandfathered while three pending applications would be denied and the City Council still has to sign off on the boundary change.

BOULDER, CO

New vacation rental hosts in Boulder have a fresh reason to list a spare home before the city's first Sundance Film Festival arrives in January 2027. Airbnb is offering a $200 bonus to first-time Boulder hosts who list an entire home for the month as searches for festival-dates lodging climb 500% over the same period this year.

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Hosts must have had no active listing before August 1 and need to lock in a booking worth at least $100 a night. Boulder has also launched a Festival Lodging Rental License that eases rules for second homes and renters with landlord approval, and the city has already logged nearly a thousand applications for it.

📱 Social Buzz

🎤 Episode Title: Teenagers Killed in Lorain Short-Term Rental Tragedy | Cleveland News
🎤 Episode: Cleveland News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now!
📻 Listen: https://sources.thednn.ai/a039d5c7466fa808

South Bend cracking down on absentee short term rental owners

South Bend Common Council member Heidi Beidinger says residents in her eastside district are fed up with unruly parties, trash and parking problems from short-term rentals.

WVPEJeff Parrott

City issues cease and desist order for Lorain property where shooting took place

The city said the Washington Avenue home was being used as a short-term rental without the proper license.

Chronicle TelegramGarrett Looker The Chronicle-Telegram

In case you missed it:

Short-Term Rentals: Daily Notes | August 18, 2026

Cities address STRs. Merrillville, IN opens council discussion; South Bend, IN gathers resident input; Meredith, NH halves owner-occupied fee to $200; Salt Lake City, UT defends enforcement tactics; Lorain, OH shuts unregistered rental; Warren County, VA advances permit. READ MORE.

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Short-Term Rentals: Daily Notes | August 17, 2026

Cities address STRs. Beverly Hills, CA declines Olympic exemption; Plainfield, NJ passes on third attempt; Pacifica, CA loses residency rule; Broomfield, CO eyes 6% tax; Tybee Island, GA; Starkey, NY; Missoula, MT; Oakley, CA; Irving, TX; Folly Beach, SC cap overturned. READ MORE.

Strisker - Short-term rental and data center regulationsJasmine Ruth Albatana

Short-Term Rentals: Daily Notes | August 13, 2026

Cities address STRs. Greenville, NC sets final vote; Sedona, AZ seeks ballot power; Lake Township, MI opens all districts; Hastings, NE drafts first rules; Southwest Harbor, ME orders inventory; Duluth, MN would bar conversions; Maryland ADU deadline; Columbia, MO tip line. READ MORE.

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