Short-Term Rentals: Weekly Briefing | August 17 - 20, 2026 (33)

🔝 Top Stories

• Folly Beach, SC: After Ninth Judicial Circuit Judge Thomas J. Rode ruled on August 14 that the voter-approved 800-license cap and registration fee were adopted unlawfully, city council voted at a special-called August 19 meeting to appeal and impose a temporary moratorium on new permits pending a third-party study.
• Pacifica, CA: The California Coastal Commission certified the city's short-term rental ordinance on August 12 with the primary residency mandate and 60-night unhosted limit removed while a 150-permit citywide cap, a one-permit-per-operator rule and an individuals-only ownership requirement remain.
• Beverly Hills, CA: City leaders declined on August 11 to lift the short-term rental ban for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games arriving in July and August 2028.
• Pitkin County, CO: Commissioners at an August 18 work session reviewed a consultant study recommending a cap-and-lottery model that would scrap the 2017 to 2022 rental history requirement and set a 120-night general permit, an uncapped 30-night owner-occupied permit and a 180-night Redstone permit.
• Kennett Square, PA: Borough council voted unanimously on August 17 to cap short-term rentals at 20 units with future rentals permitted only in owner-occupied accessory spaces and the roughly 22 existing rentals grandfathered until sale or lapsed registration.

📍 Regional Highlights

• Missoula, MT: City officials said on August 12 that a median-priced $507,000 second home or short-term rental will owe $3,510 in city taxes this fall instead of $1,542 because properties rented under 28 days do not qualify for the new homestead exemption.
• Salt Lake City, UT: Airbnb sent the city a cease-and-desist letter alleging investigators used fraudulent guest accounts to catch violators of licensing rules that took effect July 1, 2026 with about 400 properties believed to be operating illegally.
• Lorain, OH: Two teenagers died August 16 after an argument turned into gunfire at a Washington Avenue short-term rental that the Building Department shut down the next day for lacking the annual registration required since 2023.
• Broomfield, CO: A unanimous city council vote on August 11 sent a measure to the November 3 ballot raising the lodging tax from 1.6% to 6% with revenue dedicated to housing.
• Boulder, CO: Airbnb is offering a $200 bonus to first-time Boulder hosts who list an entire home for the January 2027 Sundance Film Festival as festival-dates lodging searches climb 500%.
• Denison, TX: City staff at the August 17 council meeting proposed having Vrbo and Airbnb collect hotel occupancy tax at booking after data showed an estimated 60% of short-term rentals are not remitting.
• Bar Harbor, ME: Selectboard member Martha Dudman argued the town should revisit short-term rental rules following passage of LD 2173 which mandates greater residential density statewide by July 2027.

✅ New Ordinances Approved

• Plainfield, NJ: Short-term rental rules cleared the city council on the third attempt in ten months after an October 2025 version passed first reading 6-1 before stalling and a softened June rewrite stalled again on July 13.
• Columbia Township, MI: The board voted unanimously on August 17 to pass a short-term rental ordinance requiring permits with fines up to $1,000 and occupancy calculated under the Michigan residential code instead of a contested 10-occupant limit.
• Tuscola Township, MI: The Board of Trustees adopted Ordinance 2026-01 on August 10 by a 4-1 vote which classifies short-term rentals as a permitted use in every zoning district under a formal application process.
• Meredith, NH: The Selectboard approved licensing changes on August 10 that cut two application requirements and reduced the annual fee for a new owner-in-residence category from $400 to $200.
• Oakley, CA: The city council approved a pilot program on August 11 allowing unhosted whole-home rentals inside the Downtown Specific Plan district capped at 15 permits tied to owners' primary residences.
• Irving, TX: Council members backed ordinance 2026-160-UDC without a dissenting vote and placed rentals under 30 days under stricter zoning review effective July 31, 2026, banning room rentals unless the owner lives on site and requiring four off-street parking spaces plus one per bedroom beyond four.

💬 Catch Up on Discussions

• Tybee Island, GA: Residents spoke at an August 13 public hearing on a draft splitting the island into four zones with 60% caps in eastern beach and southern commercial areas and 30% in western and northern residential areas.
• St. Pete Beach, FL: Commissioners weighed a registration program on August 19 but held off after Commissioner Karen Marriott questioned why illegal operators would register and made staff to study feasibility first.
• Greenville County, SC: The ad hoc committee held a draft registration ordinance in committee on August 17 over staffing and conflicting language concerns in a county where roughly 1,200 untracked rentals cost close to $900,000 a year in missed accommodations tax revenue.
• Loudonville, OH: A proposed 25-rental cap met resistance from property owners at the August 18 council meeting and Councilman Bill Huffman said the council will gather more feedback before moving forward.
• Westerly, RI: The Town Council directed its solicitor to draft rules patterned on Newport's ordinance plus a coastal village overlay district allowing unhosted rentals even though several members admitted they had not read the model document.
• Montgomery, AL: The city council pushed its short-term rental decision back a second time on August 18 after Councilman Oronde Mitchell requested the ordinance be held two weeks for a cleaner rewrite.
• Midway, UT: Planning commissioners recommended removing several residential pockets from the Transient Rental Overlay District that resulted in three current licenses being grandfathered while three pending applications would be denied.
• DeWitt, NY: Officials are drafting a local law to ban short-term rentals after resident complaints centered mostly on two properties.
• Harrietstown, NY: A proposed law would make safety compliance checks mandatory for all short-term rentals and prohibit new construction built exclusively for rental use.
• Warren County, VA: A planning panel voted 5-0 to recommend a conditional-use permit for a Shenandoah Farms rental over neighbor objections and sent the application to the Board of Supervisors for a final vote.
• Merrillville, IN: The Town Council weighed rules for platforms on August 18 in a town where hosts currently answer only to state tax requirements.
• South Bend, IN: Fourth District Councilmember Dr. Heidi Beidinger hosted a town hall on August 19 built around resident input on how the city should manage rentals.
• Saugatuck, MI: A council workshop on August 19 reviewed an amendment replacing the five-day late-renewal grace period with a 60-day window applied retroactively with no decision made.
• Loomis, CA: The Town Council opened formal discussion of short-term rentals at a special meeting after complaints about unlicensed properties and following a resident questionnaire launched in late July.
• Wells, ME: The Select Board held an August 18 public hearing on a draft requiring a use permit and certificate of occupancy before listing plus an overlay district allowing rentals near Route 1.
• Empire, MI: A proposed ordinance would require rental registration without capping numbers for at least two years while the village gathers data after a 5-2 July vote to schedule a hearing with Trustees Meg Walton and March Dye opposed.
• Starkey, NY: Officials took resident questions and comments on August 17 to gauge sentiment before drafting any law with Yates County registration rules already applying.

📅 Future Meetings

• Saugatuck, MI: Council takes up the late-renewal amendment at Monday's business meeting on August 24.
• Empire, MI: A public hearing on the registration ordinance runs August 25 at Empire Township Hall.
• Harrietstown, NY: The inspection proposal goes before an August 27 work session.
• Westerly, RI: The solicitor's draft and Newport's referenced ordinance return on the August 31 council agenda.
• Wells, ME: A joint Select Board and Planning Board hearing follows on September 1 at Town Hall.
• Montgomery, AL: The council revisits the rental ordinance on September 9 at City Hall.

📱 Social Buzz

We need stricter rules to protect full-time neighbors from vacation rentals

Not much can be done if it’s before 10 p.m.

San Diego Union-TribuneU T Readers

Arizona cities to push a short-term rental ballot referral next session | Arizona Capitol Times

Arizona municipalities will push for regulations on short-term rentals during the next legislative session. That includes a possible ballot measure.

Arizona Capitol TimesJakob Thorington, Arizona Capitol Times

Babbitt City Council seeks to fill open police officer position, discusses options for short-term rental cap

The Ely Echo weekly newspaper and its companion pieces - North Country SAVER and North Country ANGLER - provide insight into the news and happenings of northern Minnesota, alongside the Canadian border. www.elyecho.com

The Ely EchoHarmony Fisher

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Bulletin: Escambia County, FL News Today

A draft policy would require proof of state licensing, a 24/7 local contact, and cross-checked ownership records before any beach house can operate as a short-term rental

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This Week’s STRs. New Orleans, LA rules survive federal appeal; Maui County, HI defers rezoning of 2,554 units; Pacifica, CA residency cap at risk. Verona, WI, Woodstock, IL and Plano, TX approve changes; Citrus County, FL and Strasburg Township, PA pause. Sedona, AZ; Tybee Island, GA. READ MORE.

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Strisker Government Officials Dashboard

Trying to keep up with the main players in the STR and Data Center game? Know your council members, commissioners, committee chairs, and key staff that are part of the process.

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