🎯 STRisker: Bulletin - Yachats, OR
Yachats Clarifies STR License Rules: The Yachats City Council has unanimously approved updates to its vacation rental license code.
Yachats Council Approves STR Code Update
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After months of debate and three public hearings, the Yachats City Council voted unanimously last week to approve updates to the city’s vacation rental license code.
The decision came after a February work session with community members and resolved a major sticking point: whether licenses automatically transfer when a property is sold or inherited.
The council clarified that licenses are not transferable, but created a “future planning” pathway. Heirs can be added to a deed or trust and apply for a new joint license, ensuring continuity without automatic transfers.
Key changes include:
📎requiring license holders to be property owners
👫 allowing two names if both are on the deed
🎒clarifying non-transferability
🔍 extending inspection timelines from five to 20 days
🦺 requiring re-inspections every five years.
License holders who fail to report transient lodging taxes for two years risk losing their license. Commercial water rates will now apply to vacation rentals, and waitlist applicants must respond within 10 days.
Mayor Craig Berdie emphasized the importance of connecting rentals to city utilities. “Since the last hearing we also added vacation rental licenses must be connected to city water and sewer. If you’re on septic you cannot have a license,” he said.
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The original ordinance, passed in 2017, sought to balance tourism’s economic benefits with preserving Yachats’ residential character. The city caps licenses at 125 and collects a 9 percent transient lodging tax, its main revenue source. In 2024, the finance committee noted some licenses were being held but not used, costing the city income.
Resident concerns about density and enforcement shaped the revisions. Commissioner Ivana Christmann warned that accessory dwelling units could become “little hotels,” complicating housing affordability. The council’s changes aim to prevent that outcome while maintaining tourism revenue.
The unanimous vote reflects consensus after years of debate. As Berdie noted, “I’m not surprised given the time spent debating the issue.”
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