Short-Term Rentals: Weekly Briefing | August 24 - 27, 2026 (34)

🔝 Top Stories

• Wimberley, TX: City council voted 4-1 on August 20 to adopt a new short-term rental ordinance and lift the moratorium in place since November 2025 which will end non-owner-occupied STR2 permits in R-2 and R-3 districts.
• Folly Beach, SC: City council gave final approval to a freeze on new rental licenses on a 4-1 vote August 26 less than two weeks after a Charleston County judge struck down the voter-approved 800-license cap.
• Riverside County, CA: Supervisors voted 5-0 to adopt stricter countywide rules under Ordinance No. 927 which suspends certificates after three citations and starts revocation proceedings after five.
• Fort Lauderdale, FL: The city commission enacted fines of $1,000 per day for renting without a valid certificate with enforcement orders taking effect within 14 days.
• Arizona: The League of Cities and Towns Resolutions Committee approved four short-term rental resolutions on August 19 including doubling the maximum municipal permit fee from $250 to $500 and allowing liens for unpaid penalties.
• Los Angeles, CA: City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto filed a civil enforcement action against an alleged illegal rental network operating at least 30 properties, including rent-stabilized units.

📍 Regional Highlights

• Lincoln County, OR: The Oregon Court of Appeals upheld the county's rental licensing ordinances on August 12 and will rule them business regulations rather than land-use decisions.
• Kane County, IL: The county launched its registration system on August 20 with a $200 fee, $100 annual renewal, and limits of 12 contracts or 180 rental days per year.
• Santa Barbara County, CA: Supervisors voted 3-2 to forgive $65,840 in back lodging taxes owed by Dare 2 Dream Farms for farmstay lodging offered between 2022 and 2025.
• Columbia Falls, MT: A $600,000 vacation rental will pay $558.54 more in city taxes under the proposed budget while most primary residences see a decrease of about $359.
• Middletown, RI: The Zoning Board of Review voted 4-1 on August 25 to approve an owner-occupied rental in Birchwood Manor over neighbor objections about parking.
• Milford, DE: City council backed a dual-use rental at 116 N. Washington Street that lets the owner switch between long-term and short-term tenants.
• St. Louis, MO: Police recovered over 80 shell casings after gunfire erupted outside a Central West End rental on August 21 while a visiting Illinois family sheltered inside.
• Pinellas County, FL: Deputies made multiple arrests at a Seminole rental before an advertised party began, with arrested guests holding outstanding Chicago warrants.

✅ New Ordinances Approved

• Empire, MI: Village council approved its registration ordinance on a 6-1 vote August 25 requiring every rental owner to register while officials gather two years of data before weighing restrictions.
• Isle of Wight County, VA: Supervisors voted 4-1 to require a zoning permit and 30-day written notice to neighbors within 200 feet of a proposed rental.
• Little Falls, MN: City council approved Ordinance 68, a 3% lodging tax on stays under 30 days that funds local tourism promotion.
• Morgantown, KY: City council approved Ordinance 2026-06 bringing cabins, campsites, RV parks, and booking facilitators under the transient room tax with lien power for unpaid amounts.

💬 Catch Up on Discussions

• Tampa, FL: City officials are pursuing opt-in to Hillsborough County's proposed vacation rental registry instead of writing separate municipal rules.
• Duluth, MN: City council took up Ordinance 26-038-O to centralize licensing under the Life Safety Division before the moratorium expires in October.
• Conyers, GA: City council signaled support for legalizing rentals in designated zoning districts with Councilman Gerald Hinesley alone in opposition.
• Maui County, HI: A council committee debated rezoning 16 apartment-zoned vacation rental properties into hotel districts and recessed without a vote as critics warned the changes weaken Ordinance 5909's phase-out.
• Teller County, CO: Rental owners opposed the county's first-ever ordinance at an August 18 comment session, citing property rights and income for an estimated 800-plus rentals.
• Buena Vista, CO: Trustees debated tiered licensing caps ranging from 1% in single-family districts to 11% in mixed-use areas which is down from roughly 13% of housing stock today.
• Paradise Township, PA: Supervisors drafted an ordinance requiring yearly permits that limits rentals to existing single-family homes and mandates a 30-minute local contact response.
• West Columbia, SC: Proposed rules would set a $150 annual permit, two-night minimum stays, and a 45-minute response window with three verified violations triggering a 12-month revocation.
• Brewster, MA: The select board is preparing to finalize a $300 annual registration program covering more than 1,300 listings ahead of a January 2027 launch.
• Philipstown, NY: A proposed law would set $90 application and $100 inspection fees plus $500,000 minimum liability insurance with penalties up to $5,000 and a four-year ban for repeat offenders.
• Magnolia, AR: City council held the first reading of a proposed rental ordinance on August 24 incorporating revisions from July sessions.
• Shiloh, IL: A Planning Commission committee advanced special use permits for five existing rental units to the full Board of Trustees.
• Trenton, ME: The Planning Board held a standing-room-only workshop on curbing investor-owned growth in a town where vacation rentals make up 7.3% of housing stock.
• Nashville, IN: Tourist rentals emerged as a top concern in the town's zoning rewrite with a draft Unified Development Ordinance expected in spring 2027.

📅 Future Meetings

• Brewster, MA: The select board takes its final vote on the registration program August 31.
• West Columbia, SC: Residents get their say at a September 1 public hearing at City Hall.

• Hillsborough County, FL: A public hearing on the county registry is set for September 2.

• Teller County, CO: September 10 brings the second reading and final vote on the county's first ordinance.
• Paradise Township, PA: Supervisors expect to vote on advertising their draft ordinance September 15.
• Middletown, RI: Two continued petitions including a Crest Street rental return to the zoning board September 22.
• Philipstown, NY: The public hearing on the proposed rental law lands October 1.

📱 Social Buzz

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