Weekly Regulatory Briefing (17) 05/01/2026

🏡Top Stories This Week

• Rock Hill, SC: The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled against a Rock Hill property owner who challenged the city's short term rental ordinance, rejecting all seven of his claimed rights violations in a decision released Monday.
• Bernalillo County, NM: Bernalillo County's short term rental tax dispute has moved into civil court after Assessor Damian Lara filed suit against Treasurer Tim Eichenberg and referred the matter to the State Ethics Commission over an alleged conflict of interest.
• Harper Woods, MI: A fatal shooting at a house party in Harper Woods is drawing renewed scrutiny toward short-term rentals, after neighbors identified the property as the only known rental of its kind on the block and raised ongoing concerns about noise, overcrowding, and party activity.

📜 New Ordinances Approved

• Birmingham, MI: Birmingham has placed a 180 day moratorium on new short term rental licenses following an April 11 shooting at an Airbnb property on East Lincoln Street that resulted in assault with intent to murder charges against three 18-year-olds.
• Orleans County, NY: Orleans County passed two local laws affecting short term rentals, voting to opt out of a state required registration system while also expanding its hotel and motel occupancy tax to cover STR properties.
• Highland, NY: Highland Town Board approved updates to its short term rental policies at its April 14 meeting, introducing a $1,000 annual permit fee and giving unregistered STRs 60 days to appear before the planning board or face a $1,000 monthly fine for continued operation.
• Richardson, TX: Richardson City Council approved a 90-day pause on new short term rental registrations at its April 27 meeting, running from May 27 through August 25, to give the city time to collect data on the scope and impact of STRs in the community.
• Beaufort. SC: Beaufort unanimously approved a new short term rental ordinance Tuesday after nearly 10 months of public meetings and a lengthy revision process that included multiple last minute amendments from City Council.

💬 Catch Up on Discussions

• Poughkeepsie, NY: Poughkeepsie residents voiced frustration at a Common Council meeting last week over what they described as overly restrictive short term rental regulations that make it difficult to legally rent out property.
• Encinitas, CA: Encinitas City Council voted 3-2 on Wednesday to keep its existing three-night minimum stay requirement for non-owner-occupied vacation rentals rather than accept a state Coastal Commission modification that would have lowered it to two nights.
• Carson City, NV: Carson City's Planning Commission is considered a zoning code amendment for short term rentals Wednesday, with a recommendation expected to go to the Board of Supervisors in May for formal ordinance action.
• Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles is weighing a deal with Airbnb that would temporarily expand short term rental permissions ahead of the 2028 Olympics in exchange for up front transient occupancy tax payments.
• North Adams, MA: North Adams City Council President Ashley Shade introduced a slate of proposed changes to the city's short term rental ordinance at an April 14 council meeting.
• Arapahoe County, CO: Arapahoe County is moving to regulate short term rentals for the first time, with commissioners voting on a proposed ordinance that would require STR operators to hold a primary residence license, maintain a 500-foot buffer from other licensed rentals and be reachable within 60 minutes.
• Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green City Council is considering an ordinance that would require short term rental properties to pay the city's hotel motel tax, meet inspection standards and comply with occupancy limits of two people per bedroom plus three additional guests.
• Chatham County, GA: Chatham County is revisiting its short term rental ordinance after a public stakeholder meeting Monday drew residents frustrated less with the existing rules than with the county's ability to enforce them.
• Southold, NY: Southold Town issued a firm warning to short term rental operators this week, making clear that properties without a valid rental permit will not qualify for the limited lottery based permit program currently being drafted by the town's Code Committee and Short Term Rental Task Force.
• Central City, CO: Central City's council held a work session on short term rentals April 21, with Community Development Director Jeff Noffsinger reviewing the city's existing 2017 STR rules that tie rentals to primary residences or employee housing.
• Berea, OH: Berea is rolling out new short term rental regulations that require property owners to obtain a $100 permit by August 31 and restrict where rentals can operate, with STRs prohibited within 1,000 feet of parks, schools and churches and within 500 feet of each other.
• Carroll, NH: Carroll town officials are working to improve short term rental registration compliance after letters sent to 289 suspected STR owners revealed that 102 properties did not respond and only 81 confirmed they rent their units.
• Kansas City, MO: Kansas City is seeing a 30% surge in short term rental listings ahead of the FIFA World Cup, outpacing every other host city in the country according to AirDNA data.
• New York City, NY: New York City's Office of Special Enforcement found that 27% of approved Airbnb listings are operating illegally, sending warning letters to 605 hosts for violations including renting entire apartments for under 30 days and exceeding the two guest limit.
• Tisbury, MA: Tisbury's 75-night cap on short term rentals will remain in place after voters rejected a proposal to remove it at Tuesday's annual town meeting.
• Northampton County, VA: Leaders in Northampton County are moving forward with a comprehensive short-term rental ordinance that will undergo Planning Commission review before returning for final approval.
• Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has proposed allowing second home owners to list their properties as short term rentals through the end of 2028.
• Sedona, AZ: The Village of Oak Creek is seeing a significant regulatory reversal after its primary HOA acknowledged it cannot enforce a 2016 short-term rental ban, effectively allowing STR operations to resume across much of the community.
• Girard, OH: Girard city leaders are advancing new short-term rental regulations aimed at reducing neighborhood disruptions, with council approving an ordinance that introduces stricter operational requirements for properties like Airbnb listings.

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📲 Social Buzz

🎤 Episode Title: Special Edition Podcast: Behind the Scenes of Our Catalina + Bodega Bay Acquisitions
🎤 Episode: The Rich Somers Report

📻Listen:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-rich-somers-report/episodes/Special-Edition-Podcast-Behind-the-Scenes-of-Our-Catalina--Bodega-Bay-Acquisitions-e3inm84

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

Judge overturns the City of Santa Ana’s ban on Short Term Rentals such as Airbnb and Vrbo

In a major legal shift, an Orange County Superior Court judge has overturned Santa Ana’s ban on short-term rentals (STRs). While the original 2024 ordinance sought to eliminate stays of less than 30…

New Santa AnaArt Pedroza

Judge overturns the City of Santa Ana’s ban on Short Term Rentals such as Airbnb and Vrbo

A judge has overturned Santa Ana’s short-term rental ban, halting enforcement and siding with property owners who argued the ordinance was unconstitutional and improperly reviewed, reopening the debate over regulation versus prohibition.

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