Weekly Regulatory Briefing (10) 03/06/2026

🏡Top Stories This Week

• Arlington Heights, IL: The village board in Arlington Heights has enacted a summer ban on short-term rentals, setting a 30-day minimum stay requirement and effectively barring platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo from operating within residential neighborhoods.

🌍 Regional Highlights

• Idaho: In Idaho, lawmakers are advancing bills that would limit how cities and counties regulate short-term rentals by prohibiting rules that single them out, while still allowing basic safety standards like smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and occupancy limits.
• Texas: Ahead of the FIFA World Cup matches in North Texas, real estate professionals are encouraging homeowners to consider short-term rentals but stress compliance with local regulations and permitting requirements.
• Missouri: Missouri lawmakers are racing to clarify how short-term rentals are taxed ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as uncertainty over property classifications continues to create tension for homeowners and assessors.
• Maryland: The Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) submitted a letter to the Economic Matters Committee on HB 993, which seeks to clarify that tenants can offer leased properties as short-term rentals while reinforcing local authority to regulate these uses.

📜 New Ordinances Approved

• Thousand Palms, CA: The Riverside County Board of Supervisors has approved a 45-day moratorium on new short-term rental certificates in Thousand Palms and B-Bar H Ranch, pausing approvals through at least April 17 while staff review enforcement gaps and potential ordinance changes.
• Anchorage, AK: The Anchorage Assembly has approved a short-term rental registration ordinance requiring all units offered for fewer than 30 days to submit detailed information by August 1, with penalties for non-compliance set at $75 per violation.
• Norton Shores, MI: The Norton Shores City Council has approved its first ordinance regulating short-term rentals, establishing rules for registration, spacing, fees, and enforcement.

💬 Catch Up on Discussions

• Lafayette, LA: A federal magistrate judge has advised dismissing a legal challenge to Lafayette Consolidated Government’s ban on short-term rentals in single-family neighborhoods, concluding the ordinance is a reasonable tool to regulate commercial lodging activity in residential areas.
• Chicago, IL: The Chicago City Council’s Finance Committee advanced an ordinance creating a five-year tourism improvement district funded by a fee of up to 1.5% on hotel stays of 30 days or less at large Downtown properties.
• Midland, MI: The Midland Planning Commission began early discussions on potential short-term rental regulations during its Feb. 24 meeting, signaling the city is exploring how to formally manage STR activity moving forward.
• Memphis, TN: The Memphis City Council is moving toward stricter enforcement of short-term rental regulations following mounting resident complaints and a series of violent incidents tied to STR properties.
• Columbia, SC: The Columbia City Council has officially repealed its short-term rental moratorium, lifting the temporary freeze that was enacted last June following a fatal shooting at a downtown Airbnb.
• Des Plaines, IL: Short-term rentals in Des Plaines could soon face new regulations as city council members directed staff to begin drafting oversight measures following neighborhood complaints.
• Tybee Island, GA: The Tybee Island City Council is considering amendments to the short-term vacation rental (STVR) ordinance that would cap the number of STVRs in residential areas at 775, adding 118 permits and creating a waiting list for new owners, while exempting long-term owner-occupants and homestead owners from the cap.
• Faribault, MN: The Faribault City Council approved a new ordinance establishing a regulatory program for short-term rentals after months of discussion.
• Santa Barbara, CA: Santa Barbara officials are considering new regulations for short-term vacation rentals and homeshares.
• Smithfield, VA: Town officials in Smithfield reported that short-term rentals remain limited compared with similar Virginia communities, with only nine registered properties operating under the town’s 2020 ordinance that allows rentals up to 104 nights annually without council approval.
• Green Bay, WI: The city council in Green Bay votes to adopt updated short-term rental rules aimed at clarifying regulations and improving enforcement after months of collaboration with local property owners and community members.
• Cleveland, OH: City leaders in Cleveland are moving forward with discussions on a proposed ordinance that would introduce licensing and regulatory requirements for short-term rentals operating through platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo.
• Folly Beach, SC: A legal challenge to short-term rental limits in Folly Beach suffers a setback after the state Court of Appeals upholds a voter-approved ordinance capping the number of rental licenses at 800.
• Portland, OR: The ombudsman in Portland is calling for reforms to the city’s short-term rental enforcement approach, saying current penalties for first-time violations are far higher than those in comparable cities.

📲 Social Buzz

📅 Future Meetings and Public Hearings/Comments:

• Faribault, MN: While the ordinance formally creates the program, key enforcement details such as permit fees was discussed at a March 3 work session and could be finalized through a fee schedule amendment on March 10.

• Tybee Island, GA: The recommendations will be drafted into an ordinance and reviewed by the planning commission before returning to council, with a draft expected by March 26.

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

Alders approve new vacation rental limits - Evanston Now

Add rule subjecting any new rentals to a “negative cumulative effect” test.

Evanston NowAdrian Martinez-De La Cruz

Alders approve new vacation rental limits

The Evanston City Council approved new short-term rental regulations that cap rentals at one for every 100 long-term rental units and require new listings to avoid creating a “negative cumulative effect” on neighborhoods. The ordinance also requires hosts or property managers to live in Evanston or have an office within three miles, and mandates licensing for platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo to operate in the city.

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