Short-Term Rentals: Weekly Briefing | August 10 - 13, 2026 (32)

🔝 Top Stories

• Pacifica, CA: California Coastal Commission staff reversed a January 2026 recommendation and now advise removing the city's owner residency rule and its 60-night unhosted cap.
• Maui County, HI: The County Council's Housing and Land Use Committee recessed on August 7 without taking a vote on Resolutions 26-129 and 26-130 which would shift roughly 2,554 apartment-zoned units into hotel districts and preserve their short-term rental rights.
• Duluth, MN: City staff released the findings of a yearlong study recommending the city scrap its cap on total licenses while barring existing single-family homes from converting into rentals.
• Sedona, AZ: The city advanced two resolutions through the League of Arizona Cities and Towns that would strip mobile homes and apartment complexes of five or more units from Arizona's short-term rental definition and let cities put rental rules to a public vote.
• New Orleans, LA: The Fifth Circuit upheld the city's short-term rental rules on August 6 in Bodin v. City of New Orleans and affirmed the 2023 ordinance that limits non-commercial licenses to one per residential square through a lottery.

📍 Regional Highlights

• Tybee Island, GA: Chatham County Superior Court Judge Christopher K. Middleton dismissed the Tybee Alliance lawsuit on August 6, preserving October 2022 rules that bar new registrations in R-1, R-1-B and R-2 zones covering roughly 80% of the island.
• Hawaii County, HI: A 4-4 committee deadlock sent Bill 173 to the full council with an unfavorable recommendation and stalled Councilwoman Heather Kimball's plan for an 11th property tax class covering hosted rentals of under 180 days.
• Collier County, FL: A November ballot question asks voters to add a sixth penny to the local bed tax which lifted it from 5% to 6% on all lodging rented for six months or less starting January 1, 2027 and raising roughly $10 million a year for Phases 4 and 5 of the Paradise Coast Sports Complex.
• West Tisbury, MA: The town launched its Lease to Locals program this August with $150,000 in funding which will pay owners $4,000 per qualified tenant up to $12,000 annually with rents capped between $2,900 and $4,250.
• Maryland: The 2025 accessory dwelling unit act requires every local legislative body to adopt an authorizing law by October 1, 2026 though the state adds no nightly rental standard so local bans on Airbnb and Vrbo use in ADUs remain valid.
• Seattle, WA: Police are investigating a triple shooting just after midnight on August 11 at a short-term rental near 10th Avenue East and East Lynn Street that had been booked through Airbnb to host the event.

✅ New Ordinances Approved

• Verona, WI: The City Council amended its short-term rental ordinance on August 10 to let owners rent below the seven-day minimum through an exemption requiring proof of residency within 25 miles and no more than two city citations in the past year.
• Woodstock, IL: The city extended its 5% hotel-motel tax to short-term rentals effective January 1, 2027 and closed the loophole that exempted owner-occupied lodging with five or fewer guest units.
• Plano, TX: Council members voted unanimously on August 10 to send a venue tax package to voters including a hotel occupancy tax of up to 2% that would reach whole-home and condo bookings under Texas rules covering stays under 30 days.
• Columbia, MO: A 24/7 tip line staffed by compliance vendor Neumo went live at 1-800-283-3618 for reporting unlicensed rentals with only 88 properties licensed against 155 illegal operation cases and 19 referrals for prosecution.

💬 Catch Up on Discussions

• South Bend, IN: Bills 52-26 and 53-26, which would create an annual permit program and a special-exception zoning process went to a public hearing on August 10 in a city with roughly 1,500 active listings and no direct regulation.
• Strasburg Township, PA: Supervisors voted 2-1 on August 3 to postpone a decision on a zoning amendment confining rentals of 30 days or less to the Gateway North commercial zone along Route 896.
• Oakley, CA: The council met August 11 to weigh an exception to the citywide ban inside the Downtown Specific Plan district, capping active permits at 15 with annual renewal and a Planning Division waitlist for overflow demand.
• Franklin Township, NJ: On August 11, the Somerset County council held its public hearing on Ordinance 4516-26, a first licensing framework requiring a $250 annual permit, $500,000 in liability insurance, a 24/7 responsible party and a 3% municipal occupancy tax.
• Friday Harbor, WA: The town opened its public hearing on proposed Ordinance No. 1841 on August 6 and continued it to August 20 so more residents could testify on rules covering any accommodation rented 30 days or less.
• Wells, ME: Planning Board members pushed back on a proposed overlay district that would permit vacation rentals along both sides of Route 1 while leaving the boundaries and the path to adoption unsettled.
• Citrus County, FL: Commissioners paused a proposed ordinance on August 11 and asked for more work on the draft after complaints about noise, parking, garbage and excessive occupancy.
• Portsmouth, VA: Council members are weighing a draft requiring owner-occupancy and annual registration linked to a zoning permit in a city that currently has no ordinance, no registry and no cap.
• Greenville, NC: Zoning permits for whole-home rentals moved to a final vote on August 13 after the Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval July 21, with fines escalating from $100 to $500 and a fourth violation within 12 months costing the owner the permit.
• Hastings, NE: The Development Services Department presented proposed zoning language on August 13 at the Hastings Public Library which rested the local definition on structure size of up to six units rather than Nebraska's 30-day threshold.
• Southwest Harbor, ME: The Select Board directed Town Manager Karen Reddersen on August 11 to map out a rental registration system and report back on whether it needs a full ordinance and whether the town can penalize owners who fail to sign up.
• Lake Township, MI: The Roscommon County Planning Commission will take comment on amendments permitting short-term rentals township-wide around Houghton Lake with the draft text available at Lake Township Hall at 1380 Michelson Road.

📅 Future Meetings

• Maui County, HI: The Housing and Land Use Committee reconvenes on Resolutions 26-129 and 26-130 the morning of August 19.

• Friday Harbor, WA: Testimony on Ordinance No. 1841 continues August 20 while written comments must reach clerk@fridayharbor.org before 9am that day.
• Collier County, FL: Residents can weigh in on the bed tax question at North Collier Regional Park on August 24.
• Lake Township, MI: A public hearing on the township-wide rental amendments is set for September 3.

📱 Social Buzz

🎤 Episode Title: This Week in Hospitality: Airbnb & Trip Advisor Partner, IHG's Owner Gambit, and a Loyalty Program Worth More Than the Airline
🎤 Episode: Behind the Stays
📻 Listen: https://behindthestays.podbean.com/e/this-week-in-hospitality-airbnb-trip-advisor-partner-ihgs-owner-gambit-and-a-loyalty-program-worth-more-than-the-airline/

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