Council weighs short-term rental rules: lower fees, parking tied to zoning, tougher enforcement on nonconforming units
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Summary
Council considered Ordinance 2025-06-03 to amend the short-term rental (STR) rules, including lowering application fees to $2.50, tying parking requirements to the zoning ordinance, making permits nontransferable, requiring display of a city-issued STR number, and up to $500 per-occurrence penalties; staff said 78 STRs are currently permitted.
The Alpine City Council discussed proposed changes to the short-term rental ordinance (Ordinance 2025-06-03), including application and renewal fees, parking requirements, permit transferability, and enforcement.
City staff described a fee-structure change that would set the initial application and annual renewal fee at $2.50 (replacing a prior structure of $3.50 initial and $100 renewal) and move fees into an annually approved council fee schedule. The ordinance draft would require operators to display a city-issued STR permit number in listings and make STR permits nontransferable.
On parking, the draft STR rule references the zoning ordinance rather than prescribing a separate parking standard. Currently, staff said the zoning ordinance requires one off-street parking space per dwelling unit; staff and council are discussing whether to change that standard as part of a broader zoning update. Jessica Eiseley, building official, told council the zoning rewrite is underway and would affect future STR parking requirements.
Enforcement for unpermitted STRs was discussed: staff said the city currently issues citations and pursues court action for operators who continue renting without a permit, and the draft ordinance establishes penalties up to $500 per occurrence. Council members discussed density limits used by other cities and asked staff to report how many STRs are permitted and how many are operating without permits; staff said 78 active, permitted STRs received wastewater notifications but the number of unpermitted listings was not yet determined.
Council members also discussed nonconforming residences and whether a nonconforming structure should be automatically ineligible for an STR permit; several members favored requiring that properties be conforming under the zoning ordinance before issuing STR permits.
No final ordinance vote was recorded during the meeting; staff will incorporate council direction and return the ordinance for formal action.