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Belton drafts short-term rental rules focused on Old Town; council raises neighborhood concerns
Summary
Staff presented a revised draft short-term rental ordinance limiting permanent registrations to Old Town Belton and requiring special-use permits elsewhere. Proposed rules include registration, annual inspections, occupancy limits tied to bedrooms, a $120 fee and a three-strike denial/revocation rule.
City staff presented a revised draft of short-term rental regulations on Aug. 12 that would confine routine short-term rental registrations primarily to Old Town Belton and require a special-use permitting process for units elsewhere in the city.
Key features of the draft include mandatory registration and annual inspection before listing on third-party sites, a $120 annual registration and inspection fee (proposed as $70 business-license fee plus a $50 inspection fee), and a requirement that the property owner be within 30 miles or designate a local point of contact. The draft would also require hosts to collect and remit the city’s 5% hotel/motel tax.
Staff proposed an occupancy standard of two adults per legal bedroom plus up to two additional adults per dwelling unit, and added language to account for additional sleeping space such as convertible furniture. Registration may be denied or revoked after three or more code violations within a 12-month period; any unit whose registration is revoked could not be re-licensed by the same owner for two years. Staff also proposed limiting any single owner to no more than five registered units citywide.
The tourism council reviewed an earlier draft and requested revisions on occupancy and other operational issues; staff said the City will continue to refine the proposal. Council members expressed reservations about concentrating short-term rentals in Ward 3 and questioned whether Belton would be a significant demand market for World Cup visitors; some council members said they had not received supporting public input in favor of the change.
Staff said short-term rentals would have to meet minimum parking requirements and bring nonconforming conditions into compliance, and would not be permitted as reception or party spaces. The proposal remains a draft; staff asked for council direction before preparing an ordinance for formal action.
Ending: Staff will incorporate council feedback and return with a final draft ordinance; no vote or ordinance adoption occurred at the Aug. 12 meeting.
