Columbia officials discussed whether to consolidate short-term and long-term rental regulations into a single rental ordinance, and examined enforcement frequency, inspection intervals and fee levels for short-term rental licensing.

Planning staff presented a draft short-term rental ordinance that had been tabled by council in October 2024. Commissioners noted much of the draft overlaps with existing long-term rental requirements and recommended consolidating enforcement language into Chapter 1-66 (rental administration), while keeping a clearly labeled short-term-rental subsection for rules that differ (inspection frequency, insurance and quiet-hours requirements).

Commission and council members debated where short-term rentals should be permitted on the zoning map. The draft currently allows short-term rentals in several commercial and mixed-use districts but not in Light Business or industrial districts. Commissioners noted that even where the use is allowed by zone, many parcels in those districts do not meet the ordinance's separate criteria (for example, owner-occupancy limits or single-family-detached unit requirements), which would effectively limit practical eligibility.

Enforcement questions included inspection frequency (the draft proposes annual inspections for short-term rentals and a multi-year cycle for long-term rentals), the appropriate insurance level for operators, and whether fees should be placed in a fee schedule rather than embedded in the ordinance. Staff advised that inspection frequency and fee amounts should reflect administrative workload and solicitor guidance.

Some council members said they were concerned about quality-of-life and public-safety risks from properties that change occupants frequently; others said market forces and review of complaints would screen poor operators. Several speakers noted that Columbia currently lacks hotel capacity, and that short-term rentals serve visitors until hotel accommodations are available.

No final policy change was adopted in the joint meeting. Planning staff and the solicitor will coordinate to consolidate rental-administration language into Chapter 1-66, produce a clear short-term rental subsection, and present recommended fee and inspection schedules for council consideration.

Why it matters: Short-term rentals touch housing availability, neighborhood quality of life and the borough's visitor economy. The council must weigh whether to allow more short-term rentals, control them by special exception, or restrict them to protect residential neighborhoods.

What's next: Staff and the solicitor will prepare consolidated rental-administration language and proposed fee/inspection schedules; the Planning Commission and council will review the drafts at upcoming meetings before any ordinance amendments are advertised for public hearing.