Short-Term Rentals: Daily Notes | September 15, 2026
Cities address STRs. Montgomery County, MD license checks; Cayce, SC bars under-21 guests; Mesquite, NV staff approvals; Annapolis, MD fine ceiling raised; Indian Wells, CA tennis exception; Clark County, NV; Manatee County, FL; Nantucket, MA; Grand Haven, MI; Killeen, TX 8% compliance. READ MORE.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD
Airbnb and Vrbo would become gatekeepers for Montgomery County's short-term rental licensing rules under a new bill requiring platforms to confirm a county license before a listing goes live. Bill 42-26 was introduced at the September 15, 2026 council session alongside a broader package of housing and tax credit bills.
Montgomery County Bill 42-26 would require short-term rental platforms to verify county licenses before publishing listings and processing bookings. | Source: https://montgomerycountymd.granicus.com/
Beyond verification, the measure bars platforms from processing payments for unlicensed rentals and requires annual occupancy reporting while the Department of Housing and Community Affairs builds an electronic verification system. Councilmember Shebra Evans is lead sponsor and a public hearing is set for October 6, 2026.
Montgomery County Council’s Sept. 15, 2026 agenda includes the introduction of Bill 42-26.
CAYCE, SC
Guests under 21 would be barred from booking short-term rentals in Cayce under a revamped zoning ordinance that also caps occupancy at two people per bedroom plus two more and bans gatherings beyond that limit. Every unit would need an annual business license and liability insurance along with a local representative living within 45 miles.
Cayce Draft Unified Development Ordinance, Article 6
Official City of Cayce draft outlining conditional-use standards for short-term rentals and data centers including STR occupancy, licensing and local-representative requirements and a 2,000-foot data-center setback from homes, churches, schools and parks.
Owners must notify neighbors and neighborhood associations each year and keep two years of guest and rental day records, while the same document pushes data centers 2,000 feet from homes, churches, schools and parks. Council members are being briefed the week of September 14, 2026 ahead of a Planning Commission public hearing on September 21.
The city is updating its zoning and land‑development rules into a unified ordinance that would restrict where data centers can locate and introduce licensing, occupancy and parking rules for short‑term rentals. https://t.co/6CvSFPArHc
— Post and Courier Columbia (@PCColumbia) September 14, 2026
MESQUITE, NV
A 3-2 vote on September 8, 2026 sent Ordinance No. B26-007 to a public hearing on September 22, 2026 as the Mesquite City Council weighs handing short-term rental approvals to city staff instead of reviewing each one itself. The amendment to Title 9, Chapter 7 of the municipal code would reclassify vacation home rentals in specified residential and commercial zones from conditional use permits to permitted uses while Public Works Director Travis Anderson assured the council that every existing rule, permit and standard would still apply.
Mesquite’s proposed Ordinance B26-007 would shift vacation home rentals in specified zones from conditional to permitted uses. | Source: https://granicus-aasmp-peak-files.s3.amazonaws.com/
Councilman Bill Ennis moved the introduction with Councilwoman Karen Fielding seconding while Councilman Kevin Parrish and Councilwoman Pattie Gallo voted no with Parrish pushing instead for a cap of 350 to 400 properties to stop oversaturation.
Exhibit A: Proposed Vacation Home Rental Zoning Changes
Exhibit A details the proposed amendments to Mesquite’s zoning code under Ordinance B26-007 and identifies where vacation home rentals would be treated as permitted uses rather than conditional uses.
Mesquite's Vacation Home Rental License Requirements
Mesquite’s municipal code outlines the licensing requirements that apply to vacation home rentals operating within the city.
KILLEEN, TX
The Killeen City Council will take up short-term rental tax compliance at its September 15, 2026 meeting after Councilwoman Mellisa Brown requested the item in response to a July 2026 city audit showing only 8 percent of operators are collecting hotel occupancy tax. Brown wants a more efficient registration process so collections can recover before arts funding is cut further.
The audit by City Auditor Matthew Grady found the program lost $2,300 in fiscal year 2024 and brought in just $72,283 in fiscal year 2025 against a projected $700,000, a gap the report tied to contractor performance it labeled subpar.
Government Websites by CivicPlus®
ANNAPOLIS, MD
A maximum fine of $5,000 for short-term rental violations was introduced at the Annapolis City Council meeting on September 14, 2026 when Mayor Jared Littmann filed Resolution R-33-26 with co-sponsors Alderman Brooks Schandelmeier and Alderwoman Karma O'Neill. The measure amends the Fiscal Year 2027 fines schedule so initial and repeat violations of City Code § 17.44.090 each carry up to $5,000 instead of the current $1,000.
Official Annapolis R-33-26 First Reader proposing to raise maximum fines for short-term rental violations from $1,000 to $5,000.| Source: https://annapolismd.legistar.com/
The resolution argues that short-term rentals create community impacts and enforcement challenges that long-term rentals do not so a fivefold increase is needed to make unlicensed operation unprofitable. It now heads to the Finance Committee and would take effect upon passage.
INDIAN WELLS, CA
Demand for lodging around the WTA Finals prompted Indian Wells to amend its short-term rental ordinance so residents with restricted permits can rent out their homes during the November 8 to 15, 2026 championship at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The change lets rentals begin seven days before the tournament as long as each booking runs at least seven nights.
City officials framed the temporary flexibility as a way to absorb tournament visitors while keeping existing rules intact since hosts still need both a business license and a short-term rental permit before listing. The city's standard 29-night minimum continues to apply outside the event window.
Indian Wells' Short-Term Residential Rentals
Official City of Indian Wells guidance on short-term rental permits, licensing requirements, minimum-stay rules, and special rental provisions for major tennis events.
Indian Wells' Municipal Code, Short-Term Residential Rentals
Official Indian Wells municipal code outlining the city’s rules for short-term residential rentals including permit and licensing requirements, rental restrictions, and applicable exceptions.
CLARK COUNTY, NV
A federal appeals panel pressed Clark County on September 14, 2026 to fix its stalled short-term rental licensing program rather than fight a lower court injunction that currently lets Las Vegas area hosts operate without a license. County attorney Thomas Dillard told the Ninth Circuit the county has granted 175 licenses while denying 141 and leaving about 500 pending and argued that renting out property is not an inherent right.
Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/jfPP_U2ripg
Judge Ryan Nelson answered that even California has not gone that far and urged the county to solve the problem before it while the Greater Las Vegas Short-Term Rental Association argued that hosts who wait more than five days to contest a citation must first pay the full fine. The panel issued no ruling and the December 2025 injunction remains in effect.
News 3 Staff
Jaclyn Schultz
MANATEE COUNTY, FL
Residents across Manatee County are urging commissioners to cap short-term rental occupancy at eight guests or at most twelve while restricting minimum stays and strengthening enforcement after parties drawing 80 to 100 people became routine. Gayle Flynn said about 40% of the homes on her street of 37 years are now Airbnbs while Mark Egbers said he has called the sheriff's office 30 to 40 times over gatherings that erupt roughly twice a month.
AuthorCINDY LANE, Tampa Bay Beacons
The push follows a September 2, 2026 work session where commissioners directed staff to draft an ordinance within 30 to 45 days as a preliminary estimate put first-year costs at $1.5 million for 11 new positions ahead of public notice and board review.
Manatee County’s plan to regulate short-term rentals could cost $1.5 million https://t.co/djyLUzFDTF
— Bradenton Herald (@bradentonherald) September 14, 2026
NANTUCKET, MA
Attorney Johanna Schneider is asking the Nantucket Select Board to lift a contractual ban on short-term rentals covering 36 lots her client bought in 2022 inside the island's largest affordable housing development. She argued that singling out these homes for a prohibition the broader community is now free to engage in is inequitable.
Government Websites by CivicPlus®
Government Websites by CivicPlus®
The restriction traces back to the 2015 zoning approval for Richmond Great Point off Old South Road and most of the affected homes are market rate rather than deed restricted. The board's decision on September 16, 2026 will test how far last November's islandwide legalization reaches into private covenants.
GRAND HAVEN, MI
Neighbors of a short-term rental at 26 Edwards Avenue confronted Grand Haven officials on September 8, 2026 after learning the Planning Commission had unanimously approved a special land use permit at a rehearing they were never told about. The owners first applied in May 2026 and lost on a 4-4 tie on August 11, 2026 before returning later that month with an amended plan that passed without objection.
Mayor Bob Monetza said the revision was minor enough to skip a new public hearing while proposing that notification language be added to city bylaws and City Manager Ashley Latsch apologized by pledging the city will do better.
Grand Haven's Special Land Use Application
Official City of Grand Haven application form for property owners seeking special land use approval, the process used for short-term rental requests such as 26 Edwards Avenue.
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Kalispell City Council on Monday is expected to consider repurposing vacant municipal property for affordable housing and discuss the state of short-term rentals in the city. https://t.co/ecmRxx4mdf pic.twitter.com/f1owg6v7ie
— Daily Inter Lake (@DailyInterLake) September 14, 2026
It's titled a short-term rental ordinance. Then you get to page 152 — where it licenses and taxes nearly every landlord in Opelika. What Tuesday's Council ordinance says, in plain English, and the four things it doesn't say.https://t.co/XNQ8EftjdP
— Opelika Daily (@OpelikaDaily) September 13, 2026
The Villages, Florida is cracking down on short-term rentals in new builds. New deed restrictions mandate a minimum 30-day rental period. Why now? The timing of these restrictions is more interesting than you might think. #TheVillages #RealEstate #Florida pic.twitter.com/2KT0KJFRn6
— The Villages Florida (@TheVillagesFL4U) September 14, 2026
New from our community news team: Strasburg Township puts new restrictions on short-term rentals https://t.co/HQpIhdy6Xd
— LNP | LancasterOnline (@LancasterOnline) September 14, 2026
Our first investment: Austin.
— Airbnb Public Policy (@AirbnbPolicy) September 14, 2026
201 income-restricted homes in St. John, at a site the neighborhood fought two decades to see built.
Short-term rentals aren't permitted there. We invested anyway. Because this is about housing supply, not Airbnb supply. pic.twitter.com/e4NjyO9Qsr
In case you missed it:
Jasmine Ruth Albatana
Jasmine Ruth Albatana
Jasmine Ruth Albatana
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