Weekly Regulatory Briefing (17)
Each week, we bring together the biggest updates in short-term rental regulations from coast to coast. Whether it’s fresh local regulations, emerging trends, or major discussions, our briefing provides all you need to stay in the know.
Each week, we bring together the biggest updates in short-term rental regulations from coast to coast. Whether it’s fresh local regulations, emerging trends, or major discussions, our briefing provides all you need to stay in the know.
🏡 Top Stories This Week
- 🕴️ Summit County, CO: Summit County’s lawsuit over short-term rental restrictions will move forward under a new judge after Reed Owens recused himself, citing potential bias due to his wife’s role as Breckenridge’s mayor.
🌍 Regional Highlights
- 🎴 Maryland: Maryland has passed legislation to centralize hotel tax collection from short-term rental platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo aiming to close enforcement gaps and boost local revenue.
- 🎩 Massachusetts: A new Massachusetts bill named after fire victims Shannon and Maggie Hubbard would require annual safety inspections for all short-term rentals statewide, addressing concerns that current regulations vary too widely by town.
- 📊 Washington: Washington state lawmakers failed to advance a proposed 4% local-option tax on short-term rentals before the April 16 cutoff, leaving Senate Bill 5576 dead for the session — though supporters say it will return next year.
- 🖨️ Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico lawmakers took another step toward regulating short-term rentals with an April 9 public hearing on Senate Bill 238, which proposes a unified municipal registry and license framework across the island.
- 🏡 South Carolina: Debate over short-term rental regulation resurfaced in Columbia as South Carolina lawmakers discussed House Bill 3861 which would block municipalities from banning STRs.
- 📒 Connecticut: Connecticut’s legislature is advancing a bill that would require all short-term rental operators to register annually with the Department of Revenue Services, including submitting property details and paying a $100 fee per unit.
📜 New Ordinances Approved
- 🎈 Riverside County, CA: Riverside County supervisors have unanimously extended a short-term rental moratorium in Thousand Palms and B Bar H Ranch for another 10 months citing ongoing issues tied to party houses and community disruptions.
💬 Catch Up on Discussions
- 📎 Gloucester, MA: Gloucester councilors voted to grandfather existing short-term rentals permanently from future rental duration limits removing a sunset clause that would’ve taken effect in three years.
- 🏖️ Santa Monica, CA: Santa Monica is tightening its grip on problem properties, including short-term rentals, with a new ordinance introduced by the City Council.
- 🏫 Manistee, MI: Manistee’s long-awaited short-term rental ordinance hit another roadblock as City Council voted 4–3 against even introducing the proposal.
- 🛂 Warren County, VA: At its April 15 meeting, the Warren County Board of Supervisors approved two new short-term tourist rental applications with no public opposition.
- 💺 Pacifica, CA: Pacifica has finalized major revisions to its short-term rental ordinance establishing stricter caps and operational rules in an effort to curb corporate ownership and preserve housing stock.
- 🥥 Cocoa Beach, FL: Cocoa Beach is expanding its short-term rental regulations beyond single-family homes to include condos and multifamily properties following a unanimous city commission vote on April 17.
- 🍍 Hawaii County, HI: Hawai‘i County took another step toward regulating hosted short-term rentals with a Zoom briefing held on April 17, where the public was informed about a proposed registration process for hosted vacation rentals and platforms like Airbnb.
- 📒 Port Austin, MI: The Port Austin Village Council delayed a vote on a proposed short-term rental ordinance as members continue working with legal counsel to fine-tune the language.
- 🎤 York, Maine: York residents gathered for a public forum to weigh in on whether the town should adopt its first-ever short-term rental ordinance, reigniting debate after a similar proposal narrowly failed last May.
- 💼 Oakley, CA: During Oakley's April 8 planning and zoning work session, City Council discussed potentially encouraging more short-term rentals in the downtown area to boost foot traffic and support local businesses.
- 🏠 Park Township, MI: Park Township’s Zoning Board of Appeals met April 21 but postponed a final ruling on whether to grandfather existing short-term rentals, with members signaling opposition that could lead to renewed litigation.
- ☕ Ocean City, MD: Ocean City residents pushed back against the Town Council’s March decision to ban short-term rentals in R1 Single Family and Mobile Home Residential zones by launching a petition for a referendum.
- 🍍 Maui, HI: Maui’s mayor moved forward with a controversial plan to phase out short-term rentals as a solution to the island’s growing housing crisis.
- 🗺️ Woodland Park, CO: A legal challenge to Woodland Park’s voter-approved short-term rental ordinance was dismissed with a judge ruling that STRs were never a permitted use under local zoning laws.
- 🚪 Newton, NJ: Newton officials are considering a town-wide housing survey to better understand the scope of short-term and long-term rentals including Airbnbs, boarding homes, and traditional B&Bs.
- 🖇️ Irondequoit, NY: Irondequoit officials are reviewing a proposed code change that would limit short-term rentals to stays of at least 7 days or more than 29 days, aiming to curb transient traffic in residential zones.
- 🏨 Redding, CA: Redding’s Planning Commission has voted to recommend a new limit on short-term vacation rentals proposing that no more than 50% of units in any apartment building can be used as STRs.
Let’s Explore: Emerging Trends 🌱
Short-term rental regulations are evolving rapidly as governments respond to rising concerns around housing availability, neighborhood impact, and tax compliance. From centralized oversight to safety mandates and community-driven zoning debates, a new wave of policy trends is reshaping how cities and regions manage platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo.
What this means:
⚖️ Centralized Oversight Gains Momentum: Across North America, states and provinces are stepping in to unify fragmented short-term rental rules. From Maryland’s move to streamline hotel tax collection to Connecticut’s proposed statewide registration requirement, and Puerto Rico’s push for a unified licensing system, governments are working to close enforcement loopholes, boost accountability, and ease local administrative burdens. This trend shows a clear pivot toward centralized oversight in response to the challenges posed by inconsistent municipal approaches.
🧗♂️ Safety Standards and Density Limits Take Priority: Safety and community impact are becoming central themes in new legislation, with proposals like Massachusetts' inspection bill—named for victims of a fatal fire—seeking to standardize health and safety checks. Meanwhile, cities like Santa Monica, Cocoa Beach, and Redding are tightening operational rules, expanding oversight to multifamily units, or limiting STR density in apartment buildings to protect residential integrity and reduce nuisance complaints.
🏡 Local Pushback and Grandfathering Tensions: Communities are deeply divided over how to treat existing STRs, with some councils (like Gloucester and Park Township) weighing grandfathering options amid legal uncertainty, while others (like Ocean City and Maui) face public backlash over outright bans or aggressive phase-outs. These conflicts illustrate how STR policy continues to stir debate over property rights, housing access, and tourism economics—often forcing municipalities to balance resident concerns with market pressures.
📅 Future Meetings and Public Hearings/Comments:
- Park Township, MI: A formal resolution is expected May 5. If denied, property owners plan to refile their suit in circuit court.
🖱️ Click of the Week: See What Everyone’s Reading
Daryl Huff
Honolulu fails to collect millions in short-term rental fines
Honolulu has struggled to collect fines from illegal short-term rental operators, with only about $1.1 million of the $28.9 million in fines issued in 2024 successfully collected, highlighting significant enforcement challenges.