Hocking County commission reviews draft short‑term rental rules, other land‑use tools

Hocking County zoning officials on May 29 discussed draft land‑use tools focused on short‑term rentals and related safety, identification and enforcement measures as the county seeks to respond to rising rental activity and repeated emergency calls.

The commission, which has met monthly since spring 2023 with consultant American StructurePoint, reviewed proposals that would require a short‑term rental permit or registration, a 24‑hour local contact for each rental, conspicuous address numbering tied to the county grid, driveway and parking standards that meet first‑responder needs, occupancy limits tied to unit capacity and minimum insurance and nuisance rules. The commission also discussed pursuing impact fees to help fund emergency response and other county costs.

The proposals were framed as “land‑use tools” rather than full zoning, meaning they would set conditions for uses rather than reclassify parcels. The meeting chair summarized early outreach and surveys, saying more than 400 people responded to the commission’s questionnaire and that other outreach by the Hocking Hills Tourism Association returned about 700 responses from a mailing to roughly 17,000 households. “Over 90% of the people that responded and attended feel like there’s a need for something,” the meeting chair said.

Why it matters: commissioners and first responders described a growing workload tied to short‑term rentals and remote cabins. County and local fire and EMS officials reported substantially increased runs in recent years; commission discussion referenced EMS counts in the thousands and Logan area fire runs rising from about 900…