Annapolis task force recommends banning rentals of stationary "house barges," urges code clarification

A city-appointed task force on Sept. 18 told the Annapolis City Council that the short-term rental (STR) use of stationary residential "house barges" should be prohibited and that the city should clarify its code and enforcement roles before allowing any rental use.

The task force, formed under a council resolution and led in presentation by chair Guy Caron and vice chair Rod, presented a detailed report and recommended changes after surveying stakeholders, reviewing city department input and cataloging marina capacity. "The general consensus was no rentals, period," Guy Caron said during the council work session.

The recommendation matters because members and city staff said house barges—defined by the task force as residential structures built on flotation devices and not designed or equipped for independent navigation—raise public-safety, sanitary and noise-enforcement questions distinct from those posed by charter boats, liveaboards or other recreational vessels.

Task force findings and rationale

The report distinguishes four vessel categories: houseboats (navally engineered, navigable dwellings), charter boats (recreational rental vessels regulated by the U.S. Coast Guard), liveaboards (people living aboard navigable recreational vessels) and house barges (floating residential structures that remain stationary in slips). The group said many of the problems raised by public comments and departments centered on short-term rental use of house barges, not on charter boats or liveaboards.

Task force members highlighted several practical concerns: - Sewage and graywater: Black-water pump-outs and graywater discharge pose seasonal capacity and environmental risks; winter reductions in pump-out service complicate compliance. - Safety and unfamiliar users: The group said guests unfamiliar with maritime conditions increase safety risk, and the lack of vetting for STR users is a distinguishing risk compared with charter operations. - Noise and enforcement ambiguity: The task force said existing noise ordinances and STR rules are difficult to enforce where land and water jurisdictions overlap and asked the council to clarify which office (harbormaster, police, planning/zoning) has primary enforcement authority. - Visual and maritime-character impacts: Members and several councilors raised concerns that large, residential house barges can be visually imposing and alter Annapolis’ maritime character.

Local data cited in the presentation

The task force reported 2,342 slips in city waters distributed across 38 marinas, with 17 slips under city/harbormaster control at the City Dock and the remainder at private marinas. The group noted that many marinas are small (23 with under 50 slips, as presented) and questioned the equity and origins of a current rule limiting house-barge permits to 2% of slips in marinas with at least 50 slips.

Recommendations presented to council

The task force’s principal recommendation is to prohibit rental use of house barges (including short-term and long-term rental arrangements) while allowing marinas to host a limited number of nonrental house barges for internal, noncommercial uses (for example, staff housing or marina operations). Specifically, the group proposed revising the existing 50-slip/2% limit to a more equitable "2% or 1 unit" approach so smaller marinas could host a single nonrental house barge if desired.

The task force also recommended: - Clarify and codify definitions for residential vessel, STR vessel, house barge and related terms in city code. - Strengthen pump-out capacity and emergency infrastructure before any expansion of floating residential uses. - Enforce existing STR and water/noise regulations, with clearer assignment of enforcement responsibility. - Consider zoning or placement restrictions that concentrate house barges in nonresidential areas where appropriate to protect viewsheds and maritime character.

Public and interagency input

The presentation summarized public-survey results that were predominantly opposed to STR house barges and urged parity in inspections, licensing and taxation with land-based STRs. The report also summarized city-department comments: planning and public works noted infrastructure concerns, and the fire marshal described a typically reactive approach—adopting stricter rules after incidents—while flagging potential inspection and access requirements if residential barges increase.

Comparative examples

The task force cited other jurisdictions’ approaches: Ocean City, Md., used a rental-business-license approach and restricted commercial rental uses; Beach Haven, N.J., prohibits occupancy of vessels not capable of self-propelled navigation; several coastal cities (Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard towns, Newport and Brookhaven) ban stationary residential barges, while cities such as Baltimore, Sausalito and Seattle allow regulated house-barge communities.

Council questions and next steps

Council members praised the report’s detail and asked staff to upload the presentation and final report to the council’s Legistar record for reference. Councilors also asked staff and the harbormaster to clarify whether the task force must complete additional work before its statutory disbanding date; staff noted the resolution calls for the task force to disband three months after the final report and that the September 18 date implies a December 18 disbanding deadline.

The presentation did not include formal council action or votes. Several council members signaled intent to revisit the recommendations in the next council term and asked staff to return with clear draft code language if the council wishes to pursue the task force’s prohibition on rentals.

Ending

Task force leaders urged the council to read the full report and recommended edits to the executive summary to reflect the final recommendation language. Councilors thanked the volunteer members and staff who assembled the report and asked the city to post the presentation and report with the associated resolution for further review ahead of any potential code changes.