Weekly Regulatory Briefing (19) 05/15/2026

🏡Top Stories This Week

• Houston, TX: Residents in Houston’s Third Ward are calling for stricter short-term rental enforcement after a shooting broke out during an early morning house party at a registered STR property.
• Cleveland, OH: Ahead of Memorial Day weekend, Airbnb is activating its anti-party technology to screen short-term rental bookings and prevent reservations it considers high-risk for unauthorized gatherings.

🌍 Regional Highlights

• Florida: Florida has approved a new human trafficking awareness training program for the short-term rental industry after ECPAT International and Airbnb collaborated with Miami STR operators to adapt the curriculum for vacation rental businesses.
• South Carolina: South Carolina lawmakers are considering H. 3876, a proposal that would assign responsibility for collecting and paying taxes on short-term rentals, including Airbnb listings, either to booking platforms or property management companies depending on their role.

📜 New Ordinances Approved

• Milford, CT: Milford officials have approved a new short-term rental ordinance following a divided public debate over the impact of Airbnb- and Vrbo-style properties on residential neighborhoods.
• Albany County, NY: Albany County lawmakers have approved a new measure that will apply the county’s existing 6.5% hotel occupancy tax to short-term rentals like Airbnb and VRBO beginning in 2026.
• Simi Valley, CA: The Simi Valley City Council voted unanimously to regulate and tax short-term rentals rather than ban them, ending more than a year of debate over Airbnb-style properties in the city.
• Arapahoe County, CO: Arapahoe County commissioners unanimously approved new short term rental regulations Tuesday that will take effect in late June, after a previous vote in April had to be redone due to technical issues that prevented online participants from joining.

💬 Catch Up on Discussions

• Goleta, CA: Goleta officials are moving forward with significant changes to the city’s short-term vacation rental ordinance, with the City Council unanimously advancing amendments aimed at limiting non-hosted rentals and preserving long-term housing stock.
• Nevada City, CA: Nevada City officials are preparing a ballot measure that could reshape the city’s short-term rental rules ahead of the November 2026 election, with the Economic & Community Development Committee reviewing a draft ordinance this week before sending recommendations to the city council.
• Bernalillo County, NM: Bernalillo County’s dispute over how short-term rentals should be taxed continues to escalate as Assessor Damian Lara submitted an ethics complaint and additional evidence accusing County Treasurer Tim Eichenberg of maintaining ties to a private property tax consulting business.
• Kingston, NY: The Town of Kingston is reviewing compliance with its short-term rental registration rules after officials identified multiple unregistered listings during a recent informal check of lodging websites.
• New York City, NY: Airbnb is intensifying its push to loosen New York City’s strict short-term rental rules ahead of next year’s World Cup, reportedly enlisting Rev. Al Sharpton and other Black community leaders to advocate for reforms that would allow more homeowners to rent out properties.
• Bakersfield, CA: Bakersfield officials are moving toward formally regulating short-term rentals for the first time as the Planning Commission prepares to review a proposed ordinance that would create a permitting and enforcement system for Airbnb- and Vrbo-style properties.
• Fair Haven, NY: Residents in Fair Haven raised concerns during a public hearing Monday over a proposed short-term rental ordinance that would require operators to obtain permits and pay application fees in order to legally rent properties through platforms like Airbnb.
• St. Charles County, MO: St. Charles County officials are considering a draft ordinance that would impose new restrictions on short-term rentals in unincorporated areas, including a 600-foot spacing requirement between rentals, annual licensing fees and mandatory local contacts available to respond to complaints.
• Madison, AL: The Madison City Council is continuing discussions over possible short-term rental regulations as officials weigh whether STRs should remain in residential neighborhoods and what restrictions may be necessary moving forward.
• Collier County, FL: Collier County officials are preparing a November ballot measure that would raise the county’s tourist development “bed tax” by 1% on hotel stays and short-term rentals, with the additional revenue aimed at expanding tourism infrastructure and growing sports tourism across Naples and Southwest Florida.
• Palm Springs, CA: Palm Springs officials are moving forward with plans to create a new Tourism Infrastructure District that would add a 1% fee on hotel and short-term rental revenue to help fund long-term convention center renovations.
• Honolulu, HI: Hawaii’s escalating enforcement against illegal short-term rentals is drawing renewed attention after Honolulu fined two Oahu vacation rental properties a combined $40,000 for operating without proper authorization.
• Bellingham, WA: Debate over short-term rentals continues in Bellingham as attorney Patrick Sutton filed a lawsuit challenging the city’s STR ordinance, arguing that restrictions on who can operate rentals and where they can be located violate constitutional property rights protections.
• Jackson, WY: The Town of Jackson is continuing its lawsuit against property owner Jeff Neishabouri after he admitted in court filings to short-term renting a deed-restricted workforce housing unit through Airbnb and other platforms, though he denies allegations that the actions were intentional or fraudulent.
• Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles officials are considering a temporary expansion of short-term rental rules ahead of the 2028 Olympics that would allow homeowners to rent out second homes through the end of 2028.
• Hancock County, ME: Most towns in Maine’s Hancock County still do not regulate short-term rentals, even as debate over Airbnb-style properties continues to grow across coastal communities.
• Gallatin, TN: Gallatin is proposing its first major zoning overhaul since 1998, with a nearly 600-page draft ordinance that includes significant new requirements for short term rental operators.
• Reno, NV: Reno City Council candidate Matt Johnson unveiled a proposal to regulate short term rentals in a city that currently has between 1,100 and 1,750 STRs operating without any formal registration system or regulatory framework.

📲 Social Buzz

🎤 Episode Title: The Denver Gazette, Thursday 5/14/26
🎤 Episode: The Denver Gazette

📻 Listen:https://share.transistor.fm/s/380e01e0

📅 Future Meetings and Public Hearings/Comments:

• Mountainside, NJ: Mountainside Borough officials have introduced a new ordinance that would ban short-term rentals of 30 days or less, as local leaders move to proactively limit Airbnb-style activity ahead of potential tourism demand tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

• Chatham County, GA: Chatham County officials are considering major revisions to the county’s short-term rental ordinance as residents continue raising concerns about noise, overcrowding and parking problems tied to vacation rentals in unincorporated neighborhoods.

• Florida: Airbnb is launching a water safety and drowning prevention campaign targeting hosts with pools and hot tubs in Florida and Arizona, following a Scripps News investigation that found more than 50 children had drowned in vacation rental pool incidents in Florida since 2021. The company will send safety tips to affected hosts this week and host a webinar in partnership with Safe Kids Worldwide on May 27. 

• Palm Springs, CA: A second public hearing is scheduled for May 27, and the process could be halted for a year if enough formal protests are submitted before the deadline.

• Hanford, CA: A proposed increase to Hanford’s Transient Occupancy Tax is heading to voters on June 2, with Measure T seeking to raise the tax on hotels and short-term rentals from 8% to 12%.

• Madison, AL: The Madison City Council is continuing discussions over possible short-term rental regulations as officials weigh whether STRs should remain in residential neighborhoods and what restrictions may be necessary moving forward.

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

Marietta considers regulating short-term rentals amid resident complaints

In case you missed it:

Daily Regulatory Notes 05/14/2026

Cities address STRs. Florida: Airnbnb launches safety campaign; Palm Springs, CA plans to create new Tourism Infrastructure District; Honolulu, HI reviews enforcement; Bellingham, WA files lawsuit; Jackson, WY; Los Angeles, CA; Hancock County, ME; Arapahoe County, CO; Gallatin, TN. READ MORE.

STRisker - Short-term rental and data center regulationsGenelaine Urbano

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