One of the recurring themes in short term rental (STR) regulation in the United States is legislation at the state level looking to limit local jurisdictions' ability to regulate STRs. Such laws, championed by free-market Republicans, often only allow local jurisdictions to enact a certain set of regulations (permitting, fees), but bar them from any outright bans. Arizona passed such a law in 2016, but has met fervent push back from localities; now, many are calling for that laws repeal.
Nevertheless, per the Idaho Mountain Express, Idaho is considering such a ban. “I felt that a lot of cities were really pushing the envelope for what were reasonable restrictions for short-term rentals, so the intent was to [correct] some of that overreach,” the bill's sponsor Rep. Jordan Redman (R) said in an interview. “It’s a property rights issue in my opinion.”
Below, please find Property Guard's weekly short term rental regulation round-up, highlighting state and local news regarding short term rental regulations to regulate (or prohibit) Airbnbs and other STRs. If you want a comprehensive data solution on STR regulations in all 20,000 state and local jurisdictions, contact us here.
New and Proposed Regulations:
- ✅Idaho: New state legislature proposed to limit local jurisdictions’ ability to regulate short term rentals (similar to Arizona, Florida) (link)some text
- ✒️ Op-ed against the law: “Idaho shouldn’t allow vacation rentals to threaten lives” (link)
- 🌴 Florida: State legislature considers amendments to their law to future reduce local governments control: some text
- “After the Legislature passed a 2011 law prohibiting local governments from enacting any restrictions on vacation rentals, pushback from city and county officials forced the Legislature in 2014 to allow local governments to handle problems like noise, trash, and parking, but still prevented them from regulating the duration or frequency of rentals.” (link)
- 🔻Plano, Texas: New STR regulations will be unveiled this year, ending the one-year ban on short term rentals (link)
- 🔻New Orleans, Louisiana: The city’s short term rental ordinances were upheld in court and operations (and applications) have resumed (link)
- 📗Catskill, New York: STR regulation streamlined; future occupancy tax considered (link)
- 🔍 Gila County, Arizona: Legislature asks attorney general to investigate whether Gila County’s STR regulations are in violation of state law limiting local STR regulation (link)
Other Noteworthy News:
- 💸 Napa, California: A $500,000 settlement is reached between Napa County (where STRs are illegal) and an illegal STR operator (link)
- 🧑⚖️ New York, New York: Similarly, a New York company owes $1.2M from their illegal operation (New York’s new STR law has reduced listings by ~90%) (link)
- ‼️ Las Vegas, Nevada: Police received a staggering “4,867 calls and complaints to 911 and 311 about short-term rentals leading up to the Super Bowl.” (link)
- 📓Phoenix, Arizona: Handcuffed by the state legislature, Phoenix continues to look to how they can regulate STRs (link)
