Local officials urge rejection of proposed statewide preemption on short‑term rental rules at SB 104 hearing

At a Senate Local Government Committee hearing on Senate Bill 104, dozens of city, township and county officials, tourism leaders and local convention-and-visitors bureaus urged rejection of the bill as written, saying it would remove locally tailored zoning, inspection and nuisance tools used to manage short‑term rentals.

The Ohio Municipal League’s Bevin Schneck framed the opposition early: “The Ohio Municipal League urges your opposition to Senate Bill 104,” Schneck said, arguing the bill would preempt municipal home‑rule authority and prevent “necessary regulations” that protect neighborhood safety and compatibility. Schneck identified the Municipal Home Rule Authority in Article 18 of the Ohio Constitution as the basis for local zoning authority.

Representatives from townships, small cities and tourism organizations presented a range of concerns. Kyle Brooks of the Ohio Township Association told senators the bill would strip “over half of Ohio’s townships of their zoning authority,” and said the $20 annual registration fee in the draft “is insufficient to cover the administrative costs townships may incur.” Several witnesses praised the bill’s requirement that booking platforms collect and remit lodging taxes, but said that tax collection alone does not address…