Short-Term Rentals: Weekly Briefing | September 14 - 17, 2026 (37)

🔝 Top Stories

• Teller County, CO: Commissioners unanimously passed Ordinance 23 on September 10 as the county's first short-term rental regulation, setting a $750 annual license fee and a 365-day ownership requirement for new buyers for more than 850 rentals operating without permits.
• Folly Beach, SC: City Council voted to move forward with an ordinance largely reinstating its short-term rental framework after a Charleston County judge struck down the 800-license cap on August 14 and dropped the registration fee ruled an unauthorized tax while Councilman Blair Holladay cast the sole opposing vote.
• Montgomery County, MD: Councilmember Shebra Evans introduced Bill 42-26 on September 15 requiring Airbnb and Vrbo to verify county licenses before listings go live, barring payment processing for unlicensed rentals, and mandating annual occupancy reporting ahead of an October 6 public hearing.
• Clark County, NV: A federal appeals panel pressed the county on September 14 to resolve its stalled licensing program after county attorney Thomas Dillard reported 175 licenses granted, 141 denied, and about 500 pending while the December 2025 injunction remains in effect.
• Maryland: The Jillian and Lindsay Wiener Short-Term Rental Safety Act, HB 1221, takes effect October 1 after passing the House 111-16 and the Senate 44-0, requiring fire extinguishers, working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, posted evacuation diagrams, and emergency numbers in every rental under 30 days, with counties due to adopt annual inspection laws by July 1, 2028.
• Kalispell, MT: The 2% citywide cap stays in place after Mayor Ryan Hunter's proposal for ward-by-ward limits drew minimal support at the September 14 work session, where Development Services reported 115 active rentals as of June 2026 including 86 in residential zones.

📍 Regional Highlights

• Nantucket, MA: The Select Board unanimously rejected a request on September 16 to lift the short-term rental ban on 36 Sandpiper Place lots at Richmond Great Point after attorney Johanna Schneider argued the restriction is inequitable following islandwide legalization on November 5, 2025.
• Nashville, TN: A five-bedroom East Nashville house denied a permit in 2022 kept booking guests on Airbnb and Vrbo six days after Metro ordered the listings removed on September 9 with the host account still answering under the name of former owner Nurbek Ulmasov, who died November 9, 2025.
• Carolina Beach, NC: The Town Council voted 3-2 on September 8 to allow 15 short-term rental units at The Proximity with no minimum stay after the planning commission had countered with 12 units and 31-day minimums.
• Grand Haven, MI: Neighbors confronted officials on September 8 after the Planning Commission unanimously approved a special land use permit at 26 Edwards Avenue on a rehearing without public notice following a 4-4 tie on August 11.
• Guadalupe, CA: Measure J-2026 sends a doubling of the lodging tax from 6% to 12% on stays of 30 days or less to the November ballot with City Administrator David Trujillo estimating revenue could rise from $10,000 to $15,000 a year to about $30,000.
• Kauai County, HI: Travelers who tried to cancel after Hurricane Lowell hit September 7-8 report prepaid Vrbo bookings stuck with owners refusing refunds while the Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection accepts complaints.
• Hilton Head, SC: A chamber report presented to Town Council on September 15 showed short-term rental occupancy slipping 1% in both June and July to 69% and 73% while average rates fell $10 to $601 in June and rose $4 to $604 in July.
• Killeen, TX: The City Council took up short-term rental tax compliance on September 15 after a July audit found only 8 percent of operators collecting hotel occupancy tax and fiscal year 2025 collections of $72,283 against a projected $700,000.
• Erie County, NY: County staff are holding outreach events walking hosts through registration and the 3% occupancy tax before the September 20 deadline for third quarter returns, with late filers facing a 5% penalty plus 1% interest per month.
• Sandwich, MA: The town reopened its short-term rental survey on September 8 after a miscoded question forced it to scrap more than 300 July responses, with year-round residents, seasonal residents, and business owners asked to respond by October 30.

✅ New Ordinances Approved

• Chincoteague, VA: Town Council approved an ordinance on September 8 setting a two-night minimum stay, one off-street parking space for every two guests, and occupancy limits for roughly 750 rentals effective January 1, 2027.
• Union Township, PA: Supervisors approved Ordinance No. 200 by a 2-1 vote on September 9 permitting short-term rentals in single-family, two-family, and multifamily homes with Kerry McCrary and Gary Longenecker in favor and Stephen Lum opposed.
• Pacifica, CA: The City Council voted unanimously on September 8 to accept the California Coastal Commission's modifications dropping the primary residence requirement and raising the unhosted cap from 60 to 120 days a year in the coastal zone where about 89% of rentals are unhosted.
• Indian Wells, CA: The city amended its ordinance to let restricted permit holders rent during the WTA Finals on November 8-15, allowing bookings of at least seven nights starting seven days before the tournament while the 29-night minimum applies outside the window.

💬 Catch Up on Discussions

• Cannon Beach, OR: Councilors voiced support for a 165-license cap on September 8 and continued the hearing to notify the state of changes before an October 6 vote with the city currently holding 195 permits including 40 lifetime permits.
• Mesquite, NV: A 3-2 vote on September 8 advanced Ordinance No. B26-007 to a September 22 public hearing to reclassify vacation home rentals in specified zones from conditional use permits to permitted uses with Councilman Kevin Parrish opposed and favoring a cap of 350 to 400 properties.
• Cayce, SC: The revamped Unified Development Ordinance would bar guests under 21 from booking, cap occupancy at two per bedroom plus two, and require annual business licenses, liability insurance, and a local representative within 45 miles ahead of a September 21 Planning Commission hearing.
• Annapolis, MD: Mayor Jared Littmann filed Resolution R-33-26 on September 14 and raised maximum fines for short-term rental violations from $1,000 to $5,000 with the measure now before the Finance Committee.
• Manatee County, FL: Commissioners directed staff to draft an ordinance within 30 to 45 days after residents asked for an occupancy cap of eight to twelve guests with preliminary first-year costs estimated at $1.5 million for 11 new positions.
• Opelika, AL: The City Council set aside a rental licensing proposal on September 15 that would charge short-term rental hosts a 1.5% license tax on gross receipts, require fire and home inspections, and mandate a 24/7 contact in Lee County.
• Geneva, NY: The City Council is expected to launch a local law extending the 3% occupancy tax to short-term rentals as the first of two required approvals ahead of an October 7 public hearing.
• Hawaii County, HI: The Policy Committee deferred Bill 147 for a second time on September 15 after the meeting ran long, pushing the measure that would drop use permits for rentals of 180 days or less to October 6.
• Beacon, NY: The City Council reviewed draft updates on September 8 allowing hosts to rent more than 100 days a year, requiring a Building Department permit before listing, and barring accessory dwelling units from short-term use with a city attorney researching a proposed five-year waiting period for new owners.
• Chatham County, GA: Commissioners are reworking an ordinance centered on a 500-foot buffer between rentals before the moratorium on new applications sunsets November 7 with staff floating lower occupancy for homes on septic systems and a ban on additional guests between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
• Lake Township, MI: The Township Board held a public hearing on September 17 on a zoning amendment allowing short-term rentals in all districts, with the notice silent on permits, caps, or fees.
• Twentynine Palms, CA: The Planning Commission unanimously approved an ordinance requiring leases of at least 30 days in accessory dwelling units while letting existing Vacation Home Rental permits renew until they expire, are revoked, or are abandoned, with City Council review set for October.
• Westerly, RI: The Town Council delayed its short-term rental ordinance to a September 21 workshop by voice vote on September 14 to hear from advocates and opponents and compare ordinances from other communities.
• Otsego, NY: The revised 2026 comprehensive plan update puts owner-occupancy rules back among the options for stays under 30 days alongside local ownership, grandfathering until sale, and density limits on a two-year timeline, reversing Councilmember Deb Dalton's August position.
• Newcastle, OK: Owners Audie Bass-Ward and Richard Bass filed for a use permit to run a 0.78-acre home at 1214 S. Dickerson as a vacation rental with the Planning and Zoning Commission hearing the case first on September 28.

📅 Future Meetings

• Cayce, SC: The Planning Commission holds its public hearing on the Unified Development Ordinance September 21.
• Westerly, RI: Town Council workshop on the rental ordinance September 21.
• Mesquite, NV: Ordinance No. B26-007 goes to a public hearing September 22.
• Cannon Beach, OR: Council vote on the 165-license cap October 6.
• Hawaii County, HI: Bill 147 returns to the Policy Committee October 6.
• Montgomery County, MD: Bill 42-26 public hearing October 6.
• Otsego, NY: The Planning Board meets October 6 and October 27.
• Pacifica, CA: The Coastal Commission takes up the resubmission October 6-8 ahead of the October 31 permit renewal deadline.
• Geneva, NY: Public hearing on the occupancy tax law October 7.

🖱️ Click of the Week: See What Everyone’s Reading

City of Duluth - File #: 26-038-O

Title: AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTERS 29 AND 29A OF THE DULUTH CITY CODE TO REGULATE SHORT TERM RENTAL LICENSING AND PERMITTING

File #: 26-038-OGranicus, Inc.

📱 Social Buzz

🎤 Episode Title: AI Safety Fears, Fed Rate Hikes, & Airbnb's $250M Housing Fund
🎤 Episode: Rich Habits Podcast
📻 Listen: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/therichhabitspodcast/episodes/AI-Safety-Fears--Fed-Rate-Hikes—Airbnbs-250M-Housing-Fund-e3p0udi

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