Carmel committee advances ordinance to register single‑family rentals and cap permits at 10% in subdivisions

The Carmel Finance, Utilities, Rules & Safety Committee on May 28 voted to send ordinance D‑2770‑25 to the full City Council with recommended amendments to require registration and permitting of single‑family rental dwellings and to limit permitted rentals to 10% within an affected subdivision or defined neighborhood.

The ordinance’s sponsors are Councilors Austin, Taylor, Snyder and Ayers. Committee members debated exemptions, the timeline for implementation and appeals procedures after multiple residents and housing‑industry speakers urged changes. Councilors accepted a package of technical and procedural amendments and approved referral to full council by voice vote.

Why it matters: The measure would create a city registry and permit for residential rental dwellings and allow the city to deny, revoke or fine permits for repeat violations of city codes. Supporters said caps protect long‑term homeownership and neighborhood character; opponents said the measure would curtail property rights, could raise prices for existing rentals and questioned the scale of institutional ownership in Carmel.

Public commenters who addressed the committee included resident Greg Cooper, who said he was…