Weekly Regulatory Briefing (2) 01/09/2026

🏡Top Stories This Week

• Steamboat Springs, CO: Steamboat Springs is launching a new Civic Connections public forum series with an opening session focused on short-term rentals, aimed at helping residents better understand how STR regulations work.

🌍 Regional Highlights

• Hawaii: A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked Hawaii from enforcing a new climate tax on cruise ship passengers that was set to begin in 2026.
• Florida: A bill filed by Florida Sen. Don Gaetz (SB48) would require cities and counties to allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs), aiming to standardize rules that currently vary across more than 400 municipalities.

📜 New Ordinances Approved

• Avalon, CA: Avalon’s City Council has set the short-term rental license fee at $250 for the 2025–2026 fiscal year, following a unanimous vote and a public hearing with no speakers.
• Columbia, SC: Columbia City Council has unanimously approved an amendment tightening where new short-term rentals can operate, ending months of debate that followed a one-year moratorium enacted after a deadly shooting at an STR in Elmwood Park.
• Lawrence, KS: Lawrence city commissioners approved a temporary change lifting the cap on how many short-term rental licenses a property owner can hold to prepare for an expected influx of World Cup visitors.

💬 Catch Up on Discussions

• Maui County, HI: The Maui County Council votes to phase out about 7,000 short-term rentals but leaves thousands in legal uncertainty by failing to pass a bill that would have exempted many through rezoning.
• Essex County, NY: Essex County is putting its newly collected short-term rental tax revenue to work by allocating funds to local ambulance services across all 18 towns.
• Macon, GA: Macon-Bibb County’s new short-term rental occupation tax is now in effect, adding a $3 per-night fee on stays under seven days and $1.50 per night on stays of seven to 30 days, with longer stays exempt.
• Camden, ME: The Camden Select Board will receive a first-year report on the town’s short-term rental licensing program at its Jan. 6 meeting, as officials move into the program’s second year of enforcement.
• Nashville, TN: Neighbors in Metro Nashville are calling for tighter short-term rental regulations after a shooting at a rental property on New Year’s Day left police collecting more than 93 bullet casings and arresting an 18-year-old suspect.
• Elmhurst, IL: Elmhurst police have issued what may be the city’s first citation under its new short-term rental ordinance after a Christmas Day incident at an Airbnb-style rental.
• Ocean City, MD: With its short-term rental moratorium now extended for another year, Ocean City officials are preparing to decide what comes next for STRs in residential areas and mobile home communities.
• Pittsburgh, PA: Neighbors in Pittsburgh’s East Allegheny neighborhood are again urging action after a woman was shot on New Year’s Eve near a short-term rental.
• Wyandotte County, KS: Wyandotte County is preparing for the 2026 World Cup, expected to bring 650,000 visitors to the Kansas City metro area.

🌐 Global Notes

• Kelowna, BC: A B.C. Court of Appeal panel dismisses a challenge to the province’s short-term rental restrictions, ruling the case was filed prematurely and amounted to an abuse of process.
• Lambton, ON: Lambton Shores has implemented a new 4 percent municipal accommodation tax effective Jan. 1, applying to hotels, motels, and short-term rentals such as Airbnbs and cottages.
• Europe: In 2026, major European cities are tightening short-term rental regulations to address overtourism and housing shortages.
• Italy: From January 1, 2026, Italian landlords renting out three or more properties on a short-term basis must register for VAT, triggering higher compliance costs and social security payments.
• Wales: Online Travel UK raises concerns over the Welsh Government’s proposed visitor accommodation bill, calling its platform liability provisions “manifestly disproportionate.”
• Lisbon: Lisbon has lifted its moratorium on new short-term rentals after years of restrictions failed to slow rising house prices.
• Matosinhos: The Matosinhos City Council has reformed its tourist tax to better reflect visitor impact and encourage tourism growth.
• Athens, Greece: Athens has extended its ban on registering new short-term rentals in central districts through December 31, 2026, citing ongoing housing shortages and rising rents.
• Bucharest, Romania: Bucharest has approved a new tourist tax that will charge visitors about £1.70 (€2 / 10 lei) per night for overnight stays.
• Mallorca, Spain: Authorities in the Balearic Islands are stepping up efforts to combat property fraud through a joint awareness campaign with licensed property agents.

📲 Social Buzz

📅 Future Meetings and Public Hearings/Comments:

• Lawrence, KS

• Steamboat Springs, CO

• Decatur, GA: The Decatur City Council is divided over a proposed short-term rental ordinance ahead of a public hearing and vote scheduled for Feb. 2, after the Planning Commission unanimously recommended the latest draft.

• El Paso, TX: El Paso city leaders are moving to formally define short-term rentals in the city code. The measure is scheduled for public comment and a vote on Feb. 3.

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Soldotna aims to change short-term rental tax and permitting | Peninsula Clarion

Public hearings for two ordinances addressing existing short-term rental regulations will occur during the next city council meeting on Jan. 14.

Peninsula ClarionChloe Anderson

Soldotna aims to change short-term rental tax and permitting

The Soldotna City Council has introduced two ordinances that would update how short-term rentals are taxed and require all STRs—both owner-occupied and non-owner occupied—to obtain administrative permits and follow uniform operating rules. Public hearings on the proposed tax clarifications and permitting changes are scheduled for Jan. 14.

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