Weekly Regulatory Briefing (37)

🏡Top Stories This Week

• Parma Heights, OH: Parma Heights City Council enacts its second six-month moratorium on short-term rentals, citing loopholes in the city’s new ordinance and concerns over neighborhood impacts.
• Macon-Bibb County, GA: Macon-Bibb County is moving forward with a new $3 nightly occupation tax on hotels, short-term rentals, and campgrounds, scheduled to take effect in January 2026.

🌍 Regional Highlights

• California: California’s Legislature has passed Senator María Elena Durazo’s SB 346, the Short-Term Rental Facilitator Act of 2025, sending it to Governor Gavin Newsom for final approval by October 12.
• Arizona: The League of Arizona Cities and Towns is preparing to make short-term rental reform a top priority in the 2026 legislative session, pushing for authority to cap licenses and strengthen enforcement against repeat violators.
• Colorado: Several Colorado counties are turning to voters this November to raise lodging taxes on hotels and short-term rentals, following a new state law that lifts the cap from 2% to 6% and expands how revenues can be used.

📜 New Ordinances Approved

• Glen Carbon, IL: Glen Carbon trustees voted to impose a cap of 15 non-owner-occupied short-term rentals in the village, setting a clear limit designed to safeguard single-family neighborhoods while still leaving space for the market to grow.
• Buena Vista, CO: Buena Vista trustees narrowly approve an ordinance freezing new short-term rental licenses for out-of-county owners, capping them at 119 and tightening rules to slow speculative investment.
• Onondaga County, NY: Onondaga County is moving short-term rentals onto equal footing with hotels after lawmakers voted to apply the county’s room occupancy tax to Airbnb, VRBO, and other platform bookings.
• Hudson, WI: Hudson’s City Council passes a new short-term rental ordinance that limits licenses to 25 citywide and adds new conditions for future applicants, including proof of owner occupancy for at least 183 days a year and a 300-foot buffer between licensed rentals.

💬 Catch Up on Discussions

• Cayuga County, NY: The Cayuga County Legislature votes down a proposal to apply the local hotel tax to short-term rentals and redirect a larger share of the revenue into county coffers.
• Middletown, RI: Middletown’s August 26 zoning meeting brought residents together to weigh in on short-term rentals, with testimony showing both support and concern for how they fit into the community.
• Lakewood, NY: Lakewood’s trustees granted three special-use permits for short-term rentals, spotlighting the village’s ongoing struggle to balance enforcement of its 2024 STR law with property owners seeking exceptions.
• New York City, NY: New York City officials say Local Law 18 has nearly eliminated illegal short-term rentals.
• Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto announces another win in the city’s crackdown on illegal short-term rentals, with at least 10 rent-stabilized apartments restored to the housing market after settlements with MC Pico Properties LLC and Monem Corp.
• Sarasota, FL: The City of Sarasota signaled its firm stance on vacation rental enforcement, tackling cases where owners failed to secure the required registration.
• Nye County, NV: Nye County is rolling out new rules for short-term rentals in Pahrump, requiring all operators to obtain proper licenses by November 2, 2025.
• Des Moines, WA: Des Moines takes a first step toward regulating short-term rentals, with council unanimously advancing an ordinance to a second reading on Sept. 4.
• Clark County, NV: A federal judge blocks Clark County from enforcing new rules that would have forced Airbnb to monitor and remove unlicensed short-term rental listings, siding with the platform and the Greater Las Vegas Short-Term Rental Association in their lawsuit.
• Boston, MA: Boston’s short-term rental ordinance, first adopted in 2018, continues to shape how Airbnb and VRBO operate in the city, requiring registration, proof of primary residency, and a business certificate before units can be listed legally.
• Algonac, MI: Algonac takes its first formal step toward regulating short-term rentals, with the City Council voting unanimously on August 19 to introduce a new ordinance aimed at balancing the city’s growing visitor demand with neighborhood stability.
• Maricopa County, AZ: Maricopa County is moving ahead with major zoning updates that tackle both accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and short-term rentals.
• North Charleston, SC: The North Charleston Board of Zoning Appeals has sided with city staff in enforcing the new cap of 60 short-term rentals per district, rejecting an appeal from a property owner who applied just after the moratorium took effect.
• Cadillac, MI: Cadillac City Council is set to weigh in on short-term rentals, with a vote expected on whether to amend the city’s ordinance to allow them in the general business district.
• Spring Lake Heights, NJ: Spring Lake Heights is now the latest Jersey Shore town to face mounting pressure over short-term rentals, as more than 20 residents packed this week’s council meeting to demand action against what they describe as disruptive Airbnbs taking over Prospect Avenue and nearby blocks.
• Sandy Springs, GA: Sandy Springs has secured a court order shutting down an unlicensed short-term rental after neighbors’ complaints of noise and parking issues came to a head.
• Woodland Park, CO: Woodland Park’s Planning Commission meeting on August 28 centered on a property at 306 Chester Avenue, where the owners emphasized their commitment to preserving the home’s historic character while continuing to operate it as a short-term rental.
• Glens Falls, NY: Glens Falls’ Planning Board meeting on September 3 zeroes in on how the city’s short-term rental rules are unfolding, with special attention to the sunset clause that affects unhosted rentals.
• Faribault, MN: Faribault officials are weighing new rules for short-term rentals after a City Council work session this week signaled strong interest in requiring Airbnb and VRBO hosts to register with the city.
• Worcester County, MD: In Worcester County, zoning officials are revoking short-term rental licenses in West Ocean City’s Landings at Bayside after discovering that many newer homes don’t meet county parking requirements.
• Oakland, CA: Despite years of debate, Oakland still hasn’t adopted short-term rental regulations, with hearings now delayed until 2026.
• Boulder, CO: Boulder is moving to update its short-term rental rules ahead of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. City council is reviewing a new “Festival Lodging License,” which would ease some restrictions on rentals during major multi-day events.
• Milton, DE: Milton officials are moving closer to stricter oversight of short-term rentals, with the Planning and Zoning Commission recommending they be designated a special permitted use in districts where bed-and-breakfasts are allowed.
• Miami County, KS: Short-term rentals in Miami County could soon face new oversight, as planning commissioners reviewed an ordinance Tuesday that would require annual registration and establish operating standards for properties in unincorporated areas.
• Wells, ME: Maine communities are increasingly divided over the spread of short-term rentals, with neighbors raising concerns about livability and affordability while town leaders weigh how to regulate them.

🌱 Let’s Explore: Emerging Trends

This week’s wave of short-term rental discussions shows how governments at every level are reshaping the market, from small towns setting caps to states advancing sweeping legislation.:

🏘️ Cities Turn to Caps and Moratoriums: More cities are reaching for hard limits as they work to keep short-term rentals in check. Parma Heights, OH has extended its moratorium for another six months while officials revisit loopholes in their ordinance, Glen Carbon, IL has imposed a strict cap of just 15 non-owner-occupied rentals, and Hudson, WI now limits licenses to 25 citywide with new spacing and owner-occupancy rules. These kinds of restrictions reflect a growing trend of local leaders trying to preserve neighborhood stability and housing availability while leaving some room for short-term rental activity to continue.

📊 Lodging Taxes Gain Momentum: Short-term rentals are increasingly being pulled into the tax spotlight. Colorado counties are turning to voters this fall to decide on new lodging tax hikes, thanks to a state law that raised the cap and expanded spending options. In Georgia, Macon-Bibb County has approved a $3 nightly fee that will apply equally to hotels, short-term rentals, and campgrounds beginning in 2026, while in New York, Onondaga County has voted to bring Airbnb and VRBO bookings under its existing hotel tax rules. Even when proposals stall, like in Cayuga County, debates are intensifying as communities look for ways to capture revenue from a market that continues to grow.

🏫 Statehouses Step Into the STR Debate: State governments are starting to play a larger role in the short-term rental fight. In California, lawmakers have approved the Short-Term Rental Facilitator Act, which would impose new responsibilities on booking platforms and is now awaiting the governor’s signature. Meanwhile, in Arizona, the League of Cities and Towns has already marked STR reform as a top legislative priority for 2026, with calls to give local governments more power to cap licenses and crack down on repeat violators. These developments point to a shift where statehouses are taking up the regulatory mantle, aiming to balance tourism benefits with housing pressures and neighborhood concerns that have outpaced local fixes.

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

Rural tourism in the Canary Islands demands action against vacation rentals on rural land

Rural tourism in the Canary Islands warns that uncontrolled vacation rentals on rustic land threaten its survival and heritage.

DA NewsDA News Reporter

Rural tourism in the Canary Islands demands action against vacation rentals on rural land

Rural tourism operators in the Canary Islands warn that their survival is at risk as illegal vacation rentals spread onto rustic land, undermining historic houses meant to preserve local heritage. They are calling for stronger enforcement, financial support, and political commitment to protect rural tourism as a distinct alternative to mass vacation rentals.

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