Weekly Regulatory Briefing (17) 04/24/2026

🏡Top Stories This Week

• New York City, NY: New York City is pursuing up to $5 million in penalties against a Brooklyn landlord accused of running a fraudulent short term rental operation across two addresses in Bath Beach and Bushwick.
• Santa Ana, CA: An Orange County Superior Court judge has overturned Santa Ana's 2024 short term rental ban, siding with property owners who argued the ordinance was unconstitutional and lacked the required environmental review.

🌍 Regional Highlights

• Connecticut: A proposed short-term rental bill in Connecticut is advancing after lawmakers removed a controversial provision that would have allowed municipalities to impose up to a 2.5% local tax.
• New Jersey: With eight FIFA World Cup games scheduled at MetLife Stadium between June 13 and July 19, New Jersey homeowners near the venue are navigating a patchwork of local short term rental rules that vary significantly from town to town.

📜 New Ordinances Approved

• Gwinnett County, GA: Officials in Gwinnett County have approved a new ordinance requiring short-term rentals to obtain annual licenses, pass safety inspections, and maintain a 24/7 local contact for complaints.
• Saratoga County, NY: Saratoga County unanimously passed a new law Tuesday requiring short term rental hosts to register with the county and collect occupancy tax.

💬 Catch Up on Discussions

• Blue River, CO: Blue River officials are tightening enforcement of short-term rental rules following widespread noncompliance, reminding operators of updated regulations that took effect in 2026.
• Lenox, MA: Officials in Lenox are urging short-term rental operators to complete required inspections ahead of peak tourism season, following updated state and local regulations.
• Avalon, CA: Avalon's City Council discussed options last week to encourage more long term rentals on the island, with city staff flagging concerns that the current ordinance may be creating a perverse incentive for property owners to keep units vacant rather than rent them long term.
• Norwich, VT: Norwich Is held a public hearing on Wednesday on proposed interim bylaws that would regulate short term rentals in town for a two year period, requiring operators to obtain a $250 annual permit and comply with fire safety and other town and state regulations.
• Indian Rocks Beach, FL: Indian Rocks Beach is pulling in record revenue from its short term rental enforcement push, collecting over $176,000 in registration fees and nearly $70,000 in fines so far in the 2026 fiscal year.
• Victoria, TX: Victoria's City Council will hold a public hearing Tuesday on a proposed ordinance that would add a local hotel occupancy tax to short term rentals like Airbnb and VRBO.
• Roscoe, NY: Short term rentals in upstate New York's Catskill Mountain region are seeing strong demand and high nightly rates, driven largely by the area's reputation as a premier fly fishing destination.
• Meredith, NH: Meredith's short term rental program hit a snag as Selectboard members learned at the April 13 meeting that technical issues within the ordinance are slowing compliance and that the software system managing rental properties is presenting additional obstacles.
• Louisville, CO: Officials in Louisville are considering temporarily lifting the city’s ban on short-term rentals to accommodate demand from the Sundance Film Festival as it moves to nearby Boulder.
• Atlanta, GA: Short-term rental demand in Atlanta is set to rise ahead of the FIFA World Cup, as hosts look to capitalize on increased tourism.
• Craig, CO: Craig City Council approved the first reading of a short term rental ordinance at its April 14 meeting, following more than a year of public outreach, surveys and focus groups gathering input from residents and property owners.
• Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green is moving to bring short term rentals under formal regulation after City Council introduced new legislation Monday that would require STR operators to register with the city and pay the local hotel motel tax.
• Santa Barbara, CA: Santa Barbara's Ordinance Committee pushed forward on its short term rental ordinance Tuesday, asking city staff to look for ways to simplify the permitting process and consider opening homeshares to all zones outside of high fire risk areas.
• Fair Haven, NY: Fair Haven is proposing to cap the number of permitted short term rentals in the village, limiting operations to 34 properties overall and just 18 on the waterfront.
• San Bernardino, CA: San Bernardino has banned short term rentals citywide after a 4-3 City Council vote on April 15, with the majority siding with residents who described neighborhoods disrupted by large parties, traffic, noise and fire safety risks tied to Airbnb and Vrbo style properties.
• Navarre, FL: More than 100 Navarre Beach residents and vacation home owners packed a fire station meeting to protest a proposed ordinance that would reclassify roughly 1,200 short term rental properties as transient public lodging establishments.
• Southold, NY: Southold Town is shifting to an incremental approach to its long delayed zoning code overhaul, with short term rental regulations among the first priority areas already underway alongside cell tower zoning and community housing updates.

📲 Social Buzz

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🎤 Episode: Confessions of a Host

📻 Listen:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/confessions-of-a-host/episodes/Scaling-Smarter-with-Remote-Teams-with-Blendi-Muriqi-e3icivj

📅 Future Meetings and Public Hearings/Comments:

• Meredith, NH

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

Santa Barbara weighs stricter rules on short-term rentals

Proposed ordinance would restrict whole-home vacation rentals while allowing home-sharing, sparking debate over housing impacts, enforcement costs and city revenue.

KSBY NewsGianella Ghiglino

Santa Barbara weighs stricter rules on short-term rentals

Santa Barbara officials are considering a proposal to restrict whole-home short-term rentals in certain neighborhoods while expanding owner-occupied home-sharing, alongside new permit, inspection, and insurance requirements.

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🙋 P.S.
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