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Council adopts short-term rental registration ordinance; staff says city will not perform background checks
Summary
The Irving City Council unanimously adopted amendments to Chapter 8, Article 9 of the city code to revise short-term rental registration and insurance requirements. Staff said the ordinance requires host registration and emergency contact information but does not authorize city-conducted background checks of guests or hosts.
The Irving City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance amending Chapter 8, Article 9 of the Irving Code of Ordinances to revise registration and insurance requirements for short-term rentals.
Councilmember Brad (first name as provided in the transcript) moved for approval, saying the ordinance is “a good start” and that additional measures could be developed later. Council members noted the item had been discussed in a work session and that the current changes implement a registration framework for hosts.
During public comment earlier in the meeting, resident Mohammed Zaman told the council he feared for neighborhood safety after a person staying in a nearby short-term rental allegedly attempted to break his door and later returned from jail. Zaman asked whether the city would require background checks for short-term rental guests.
Shane Dillard, the city’s code enforcement director, told the council the amended ordinance requires owners or operators to register and provide emergency contact information and clarifies enforcement tools, including revocation of a short-term rental registration and issuance of citations for repeated code or ordinance violations. “There’s nothing that gives us the provisions to delve into who’s being rented to or to the background of the owners or operators themselves,” Dillard said. He added that in the event of recurring violations staff will coordinate with the police department and can revoke the registration.
Council members discussed possible future steps such as longer-term registration periods, entertainment zones, and additional enforcement tools. Councilmember Brad encouraged staff to continue work toward tighter controls and suggested the city examine models used by neighboring jurisdictions.
The ordinance passed on a unanimous vote.
Provenance: Discussion and vote appear in the council agenda under “Item 21” (short-term rental registration) and in public comments earlier in the meeting where Mohammed Zaman described his neighborhood safety concerns.
