Weekly Regulatory Briefing (14) 04/03/2026

🏡Top Stories This Week

• Houston, TX: Houston is beginning enforcement of its first short-term rental ordinance, requiring all operators to register or face fines and potential delisting from platforms.
• Celina, TX: A large house party at a short-term rental in Celina that drew hundreds of people and involved gunfire is prompting city officials to reconsider local regulations.

🌍 Regional Highlights

• New Jersey: As the World Cup approaches, short-term rental activity in New Jersey is facing a dual push of incentives and tightening local regulations.
• Hawaii: Hawaiʻi lawmakers are advancing House Bill 1590, which would require short-term rental platforms like Airbnb and Expedia to collect and remit state taxes on behalf of hosts, signaling a renewed push to close compliance gaps in the sector.
• Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania lawmakers have introduced H.B. 2303, a bill that would establish statewide short-term rental regulations, including countywide registries, a required 24/7 local contact, and distinct categories for different types of operators.
• Connecticut: Connecticut lawmakers are considering House Bill 5536, which would establish a statewide short-term rental registry and allow municipalities to impose an additional local tax of up to 2.75%.

📜 New Ordinances Approved:

• Chicago, IL: Chicago has approved a new 1.5 percent surcharge on downtown hotel stays, raising total lodging taxes to 19 percent, the highest reported rate in the U.S.
• Salem, OR: Salem City Council has approved an ordinance extending its 2% Tourism Promotion Area (TPA) fee to short-term rentals, aligning them with hotels that already contribute to tourism marketing.
• New Franklin, OH: New Franklin has approved a short-term rental ordinance that includes a 300-foot spacing requirement between properties, following a narrow 4–3 vote by City Council.
• Ishpeming, MI: The Ishpeming City Council has adopted its first ordinance regulating short-term rentals after several years of debate and revisions.
• Lowndes County, MS: Lowndes County has approved a new short-term rental ordinance that will subject properties like Airbnb and VRBO listings to a 2% hotel tax.
• Hilton Head, SC: Hilton Head Island has approved a new fee structure for short-term rental permits, shifting from a flat $250 rate to a $150 per-bedroom fee.

💬 Catch Up on Discussions

• Hermosa Beach, CA: A court ruling against Hermosa Beach’s short-term rental ban is reshaping local policy, limiting the city’s ability to enforce restrictions in the Coastal Zone due to missing Coastal Commission approval.
• Santa Barbara, CA: Santa Barbara’s proposed short-term rental ordinance is advancing despite significant unresolved concerns raised by the Planning Commission, which voted 4–2 to move the measure forward.
• Breckenridge, CO: A Colorado appeals court has upheld Breckenridge’s short-term rental fee, ruling that the town’s $756 per-bedroom charge is a regulatory fee rather than a tax, and therefore does not require voter approval under TABOR.
• Cathedral City, CA: A pair of short-term rental cases in Cathedral City could set a statewide precedent on how high cities can set administrative fines for code violations.
• Simi Valley, CA: Simi Valley officials are continuing to evaluate short-term rental policy after a surge of public support contrasted with prior recommendations to ban STRs.
• Borrego Springs, CA: Calls for tighter short-term rental regulation are increasing in Borrego Springs, where local officials warn that rising STR activity is contributing to housing shortages and workforce challenges.
• Oswego County, NY: Oswego County is moving toward expanding its occupancy tax to short-term rentals following the launch of a new countywide registry.
• Carbon County, WY: Platte Valley communities are taking varied approaches to short-term rental regulation as local debates continue.
• Mount Pleasant, SC: As cities prepare for the November renewal season, Mount Pleasant is highlighting major gains in short-term rental enforcement after modernizing its compliance system.
• Tulsa, OK: Tulsa is considering increasing its hotel and short-term lodging tax from 5% to 9.25%, with a public vote potentially scheduled for August 2026.
• Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis is reinforcing compliance with its short-term rental permit program as major events draw increased visitor demand.
• Beaufort, SC: Beaufort city leaders are reevaluating short-term rental rules, including a proposal to remove a long-standing ban in The Point neighborhood while maintaining a 6% cap elsewhere.
• Decatur, AL: Decatur officials are cracking down on illegal short-term rentals while introducing a new permitting system to regulate the sector.
• Martha's Vineyard, MA: Communities across Martha’s Vineyard are moving to formalize short-term rental regulations amid rising concerns over housing availability and legal uncertainty.
• Laketown Township, MI: Laketown Township is revising a proposed short-term rental zoning ordinance following strong community pushback focused on enforcement and neighborhood impacts.
• Draper, UT: A fire at a suspected short-term rental in Draper is fueling calls from residents to introduce local regulations for properties like Airbnbs.
• Fayetteville, TX: A Washington County Circuit Court judge has upheld Fayetteville’s short-term rental ordinance, siding with the city in a lawsuit challenging its validity.

📲 Social Buzz

📅 Future Meetings and Public Hearings/Comments:

• Springfield, MO: Springfield voters are set to decide on April 7 whether to approve a 3% increase in the city’s hotel license tax, a measure that would directly apply to hotels and short-term rentals like Airbnb and Vrbo.

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

Hermosa Short Term Rental lawsuit loss could be financial boon

- by Kevin Cody Hermosa Beach’s loss of a Short Term Rental (STR) lawsuit last week, Koerner v. Hermosa Beach, could, ironically, provide a financial

Easy Reader & Peninsula MagazineKevin Cody

Hermosa Short Term Rental lawsuit loss could be financial boon

Hermosa Beach’s loss in the Koerner short-term rental lawsuit could create a significant revenue opportunity, as the ruling prevents the city from enforcing its STR ban in the Coastal Zone without Coastal Commission approval and may open the door to collecting taxes from more than 200 active rentals.

Social Listening📱: Twitter

STRisker’s Twitter Signal pulls real-time posts from officials, agencies, advocacy groups, and local influencers—so you see emerging sentiment and policy signals the moment they surface. Track conversations by place, people, and topics, then zero in on what actually matters.

Create Your Watchlist - 14 Day Free Trial

👍 We’d love your feedback.
Which stories hit? Which ones missed?

We're constantly refining Weekly Briefing to make it even more useful for you.

✉️ Just reply directly to this email. We read and respond to every message!

-Will McClure
🙋 P.S.
Know someone else who should be reading Weekly Briefing? Feel free to forward this along. It is the easiest way to stay ahead of regulation changes in short-term and vacation rentals.