Council passes STR reform

Finally, we'll start collecting taxes.

Jack Craver

Jack Craver

— 4 min read
Council passes STR reform
You know, I'm not a spandex cycling type, but I do love seeing the power of a large number of bikes to bring car dominance to heel.

City Council passed some new regs on short-term rentals Thursday but delayed action on some of the more significant enforcement mechanisms.

The measures that passed do the following:

  • Require STR platforms to collect and remit Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) on behalf of hosts;
  • Require staff to deploy new technology to streamline permit applications and collect data on unlicensed STRs for increased enforcement;
  • Move STR regulations out of the Land Development Code and into the business code.

Council delayed action on the following, but expects to do something on the matter by October:

  • Require STR platforms to provide a field in the advertisement template that requires the user to enter a license number;
  • Require STR platforms to “de-list” advertisements if requested by the City, if the City finds that the advertisement is for a property that is not subject to a valid license;
  • Apply a density cap for the number of STRs a single property owner can operate in an area (existing STRs will be allowed to continue provided that they don't become a nuisance and property ownership remains the same);
  • Require STR owners to maintain $1 million in liability insurance and specific safety provisions;
  • Require STR owners to provide a local contact who is available to either return a phone call or respond to the property location within 2 hours;
  • Provide the Director of Development Services with additional enforcement capabilities, such as declaring a property a nuisance and revoking a STR license.

The bottom line is that this should have happened a long time ago. City Council approved a resolution in December of '22, asking staff to come back with an ordinance in March of '23. Why it is two years tardy? Hard to pinpoint specific culprits but the usual nonsense –– an intransigent city staff and a weak and distracted City Council.

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