Weekly Regulatory Briefing (8)
Each week, we bring together the biggest updates in short-term rental regulations from coast to coast. Whether it’s fresh local regulations, emerging trends, or major discussions, our briefing provides all you need to stay in the know.
Each week, we bring together the biggest updates in short-term rental regulations from coast to coast. Whether it’s fresh local regulations, emerging trends, or major discussions, our briefing provides all you need to stay in the know.
🏡 Top Stories This Week
- 🎺 New Orleans, LA: Airbnb and several New Orleans homeowners have filed a lawsuit against the city, challenging a 2024 law that requires short-term rental platforms to ensure all listings on their sites are legally permitted.
- 📓 Bastrop, TX: The Bastrop City Council has approved a resolution requiring short-term rental owners to register with the city and collect hotel occupancy tax funds aligning them with traditional lodging providers.
- ⛲ Fountain Hills, AZ: Fountain Hills has launched an online permit registration portal for short-term rental operators giving existing rentals 60 days to comply.
- 📒 Fayetteville, AR: The Fayetteville City Council unanimously passed a resolution urging state lawmakers to preserve local control over short-term rental regulations as a bill advancing in the Legislature seeks to limit municipal oversight.
🌍 Regional Highlights
- 🗽 New York: A coalition of NYC homeowners, business leaders, and civil rights advocates rallied at City Hall urging reforms to the city’s restrictive short-term rental laws which they claim have caused economic harm and disproportionately affect marginalized communities.
- 🍍 Colorado: Colorado lawmakers introduced House Bill 1247 which would allow local voters to increase county lodging taxes from 2% to 6% and expand how the revenue is spent.
Genelaine Urbano
Read more on Daily Notes 02/19/2025
📜 New Ordinances Approved
- 🗺️ Foster Township, PA: Foster Township has adopted a revised short-term rental ordinance limiting new rentals to specific commercial and residential zones (R2, C1, B2, B3) through a special exception process. Rentals in A1 zones are no longer permitted.
- 📏 Greensboro, NC: The Greensboro City Council unanimously voted to eliminate the 750-foot spacing requirement for short-term rentals, citing concerns over potential legal challenges.
Genelaine Urbano
Read more on Daily Notes 02/20/2025
💬 Catch Up on Discussions
- ✏️ Lewisville, TX: The Lewisville City Council will review potential updates to its short-term rental ordinance and registration program during its annual planning retreat on Feb. 21-22.
- 📊 Milton, DE: Milton’s Planning and Zoning Commission is working toward a short-term rental ordinance aiming to finalize an advisory report for town council by April.
- 🧑🤝🧑 Winston County, AL: The Winston County Commission voted on a proposed lodging tax during a special meeting on Feb. 18, following concerns raised by residents and rental operators at a Feb. 10 meeting.
- 🏠 Alameda, CA: Alameda is taking steps toward a Short-Term Rental Ordinance following a February 10 Planning Board workshop that highlighted the community's strong support for home-sharing.
- 🍫 Belgium, WI: Town of Belgium officials are moving forward with a proposal to limit short-term rentals after years of complaints from lakefront residents about disruptive guests and party houses.
- 🚲Hollywood Park, TX: Hollywood Park’s 2023 short-term rental ban faced legal pushback leading to a settlement allowing two homeowners and a real estate company to continue renting under a "non-conforming use" exemption.
- 💐 Saratoga Springs, NY: Saratoga County and the city of Saratoga Springs are moving to raise occupancy taxes on short-term rentals and hotels in response to a new state STR law.
- ⚓ Cape Coral, FL: Cape Coral officials are facing growing concerns over short-term rental violations with over 9,000 listings in the city.
- 🥥 Maui, HI: Maui’s plan to phase out 7,000 short-term rentals to prioritize housing for wildfire victims is facing legal and economic backlash.
- 🥠 Fort Worth, TX: Fort Worth’s short-term rental ban remains contested in court with 114 operators challenging the ordinance’s constitutionality.
- 💠 Columbia, TN: Columbia’s City Council is moving forward with changes to its short-term rental regulations by passing the first reading of an amendment that removes the owner-occupancy requirement in some districts, and expands short-term rentals to most areas except heavy manufacturing and civic zones.
- 🖨️ South Haven, MI: South Haven's city council is advancing new short-term rental rules including a revised licensing system, occupancy limits, parking regulations, and penalties of up to $1,000 for violations.
- 👩⚕️ Nantucket, MA: The Nantucket Board of Health is exploring new regulations to curb large gatherings at short-term rentals requiring a permit for events that exceed a property's registered capacity.
- 🎤 Indian Rocks Beach, FL: The Indian Rocks Beach City Commission postponed a final vote on proposed short-term rental regulations after significant public opposition.
- 🌊 Ocean City, MD: Following a shift in position, Ocean City’s City Council voted to eliminate short-term rentals in single-family and mobile home zones within three years favoring a 31-day minimum rental term.
- 🏡 Alexandria, VA: Alexandria city officials are proposing new short-term rental regulations in response to increased complaints from residents.
Let’s Explore: Emerging Trends 🌱
With the short-term rental (STR) market evolving, communities are responding by tightening enforcement, pursuing legal action, and mitigating neighborhood disruptions. These actions showcase the changing nature of STR regulations and their growing impact on local governance.
What this means:
⚖️ Legal Challenges to STR Laws Intensify: Across multiple cities, legal battles are mounting as short-term rental operators and platforms push back against restrictive local laws. In New Orleans, Airbnb and homeowners are suing over new platform liability rules, while in Fort Worth, over 100 operators are challenging a rental ban’s constitutionality. Hollywood Park, TX, settled its lawsuit, allowing some rentals under a non-conforming use exemption. This trend suggests increasing litigation as cities attempt to regulate the STR market more aggressively.
📈 Local Governments Strengthening Oversight: Many cities are refining registration requirements and tax collection to align STRs with traditional lodging businesses. Bastrop, TX, now requires STRs to register and collect hotel taxes, while Fountain Hills, AZ, launched an online permitting portal with a strict compliance window. Greensboro, NC, removed a spacing requirement to avoid legal challenges, and Columbia, TN, expanded rental zones while easing owner-occupancy rules. These policy shifts reflect a push for structured oversight without outright bans.
💼 State and Local Policy Clashes Continue: The tension between state and local governments over STR regulations remains a key issue. Fayetteville, AR, passed a resolution urging the state to preserve local control as a new bill threatens municipal authority. Similarly, Maui’s phased elimination of STRs faces resistance from economic and legal groups. Meanwhile, Colorado lawmakers introduced a bill allowing counties to increase lodging taxes, reflecting a state-level effort to influence how STR-generated revenue is used. This conflict underscores ongoing debates over regulatory jurisdiction.
📅 Future Meetings and Public Hearings/Comments:
- Alexandria, VA: Alexandria city officials are proposing new short-term rental regulations in response to increased complaints from residents. The changes set for discussion at the February 22 City Council meeting would impose occupancy limits, restrict large gatherings, introduce parking minimums, and require 24/7 operator availability for complaints.
- Newry, ME: Newry officials will hold a public meeting on February 26 to discuss a proposed vacation rental ordinance, aiming to improve health and safety standards without limiting the number of rentals.
In case you missed it:
Genelaine Urbano
READ: Global Regulatory Notes (3)
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