Oldham County panel requires government photo ID for owner-occupied short-term rental permits

The Oldham County Planning and Zoning Commission Study and Review Committee voted to direct staff to amend the county's short-term rental regulations to require that owners seeking an owner-occupied short-term rental permit submit at least one government-issued photo identification showing the rental address plus a second form of proof of residency.

The change was proposed during the committee's April meeting and approved by voice vote after a short discussion of enforcement challenges. Ryan Fisher, planning staff, described recent attempts by out-of-area parties and corporate operators to list properties and the difficulty code enforcement faces in catching temporary rentals after events. Fisher said the county's existing rule requires two documents proving primary residence but does not specify that one must be a photo ID. “Some of them even get their driver's license changed,” Fisher said, adding that the Board of Adjustments has struggled to verify whether applicants truly occupy listed properties.

Why it matters: The amendment aims to tighten verification for owner-occupied short-term rentals so that the Board of Adjustments and county staff have clearer evidence when handling conditional use permit applications. Committee members said nonphoto documents (utility bills, pay stubs, voter registration) are easy to falsify or otherwise do not conclusively show residency.

On enforcement and limits: Fisher and commissioners acknowledged limits to the rule: people can change identifications or register addresses out of state; Fisher cited instances where applicants said they live in the county eight months a year but retained out‑of‑state IDs and voter registrations. Commissioners noted a balance between preventing circumvention and avoiding discrimination against residents who have difficulty obtaining certain IDs. The committee agreed the required photo ID should be broadly defined as a government-issued photo identification (passport acceptable) to cover different ID processes.

Fees and process details discussed: Fisher outlined the current fee structure for short-term rental approvals: a conditional use permit application to the Board of Adjustments carries a $500 base fee plus $5 for each adjoining property owner notified; the short-term rental permit initial fee is $150 and renewal is $100 annually. Staff said renewals must include the same forms of identification submitted at initial application. Fisher estimated the county sees about one or two short-term rental applications per month and “2 or 3” recently that team members found questionable.

Next steps: The committee instructed staff to draft amended language requiring one government-issued photo ID that shows the host name and mailing address matching the short-term rental property and to retain the existing option for a second supporting document. The item will return to the Study and Review Committee as text is prepared.