The Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council and dedicated and well-educated PV residents on the subject of Short-Term Rentals have been busy this week supporting-- through electronic comments or testifying in person--a few key bills regarding Short Term Rental (STR) legislation.
In a vast field of proposed STR legislation, three bills are standouts with their bipartisan support. They are:
HB2663 (Kavanagh)
HB2711 (Barton)
HB2625 (Biasiucci)
HB 2663 sponsored by Kavanagh(R) and Rep Shah(D) was heard in the House Government and Elections Committee on Wednesday, February 16th. Here's a summary of HB 2663 that passed with a 10-4-2 vote.
"Counties and municipalities are authorized to require the owner of a vacation rental or short-term rental to obtain and maintain a local regulatory permit or license issued by the county or municipality before offering a vacation rental or short-term rental for rent. Counties and municipalities are authorized to require the owner of a vacation rental or short-term rental to provide proof of a valid transaction privilege tax license. Counties and municipalities are authorized to require the owner of a vacation rental or short-term rental to offer the rental for a minimum two-night rental period. Counties and municipalities are authorized to limit the percentage of vacation rentals or short-term rentals based on the total housing stock in that county or municipality. Vacation rentals and short-term rentals are not residential rental dwelling units and are subject to the health and safety regulations prescribed for the transient lodging classification.”
HB 2711 (Barton) passed out of Committee on the 14th with a 10-1 vote. Here is a summary of this bill:
"A municipality with a population of less than 17,000 persons is allowed to require the owner of a vacation rental or short-term rental to obtain and maintain a permit or license issued by the municipality before renting or operating a vacation rental or short-term rental, is allowed to limit the number of vacation rentals and short-term rentals based on a percentage of total residentially zoned buildings or structures in that municipality, and is allowed to regulate vacation rentals or short-term rentals in the same manner as transient lodging activities."
HB 2625 (Biasiucci) passed out of Appropriations Committee on the 16th with a 10-3 vote. Here is a summary:
"The list of purposes for which counties and municipalities are permitted to regulate vacation rentals and short-term rentals is expanded to include requiring the owner to provide contact information for the owner or the owner's designee to all property owners within 300 feet of the vacation rental or short-term rental property, requiring the owner to display a sign attached to the property near the front door that contains a local 24-hour emergency contact number, and requiring the owner to obtain and maintain a local regulatory permit or license before offering the property for rent.”
We are hopeful this overwhelming support of State legislation that would grant some local authority and local oversight will allow neighbors to feel safe and sleep soundly...and will also provide a good envirnoment for conscientious hosts to rent to reliable guests.
