🎯 STRisker: Bulletin - Columbia City, SC
Columbia Imposes Year-Long Freeze on New STR Permits After Deadly Incident
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Columbia Imposes Year-Long Freeze on New STR Permits After Deadly Incident
Columbia, SC is putting a firm pause on new short-term rentals.
On Tuesday, June 10, city council members voted to approve a one-year moratorium on new short-term rental (STR) permits, following a tragic shooting at an Airbnb in the Elmwood Park neighborhood on June 6. The incident became a flashpoint in ongoing concerns about safety, enforcement, and accountability in Columbia’s growing STR market.
The new moratorium takes effect immediately but does not affect current permit holders or renewals, allowing the city’s 446 existing STRs to continue operating.
Residents from Elmwood Park spoke out strongly during the council meeting. They argued the city’s STR enforcement mechanisms, particularly the point-based penalty system used to track problematic properties, haven’t been effective.
According to John Wilkinson, president of the Elmwood Park Neighborhood Association, none of the 20 STRs in their area have received points despite ongoing disturbances.
“Not a single non-owner occupied STR operator has notified our neighborhood association,” he said, referring to a clear requirement in the city's 2023 STR ordinance.
Columbia’s current system assigns points for police incidents at STRs. If a property exceeds 15 points in a 12-month span, it may be designated a public nuisance. However, residents argue that without transparent reporting and enforcement, this rule offers little real protection.
Mayor Daniel Rickenmann backed the moratorium, calling it a necessary step to collect better data and assess the actual impact of STRs. He encouraged residents to report violations and said the city would use the coming year to reevaluate enforcement practices and strengthen community protections.
While many neighbors welcomed the decision, some STR owners voiced frustration. Kandie Wright, a long-time Airbnb host, emphasized that not all rentals are problematic.
“We are your neighbors. We care about our neighborhoods. We care about safety,” she said.
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Elmwood Park resident Justin Barstow expressed hope that the moratorium would finally lead to better enforcement of existing rules. He described years of dealing with parking issues and noise from a nearby STR, and said the community isn’t asking for new laws—just proper implementation of the ones already passed.
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