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Staff recommends licensing short-term rentals; Dickinson commission discusses limits and enforcement
Summary
At an Oct. 8, 2025 work session, Dickinson community development staff presented three regulatory options for short-term rentals and recommended a city licensing program to balance oversight and administrative efficiency; commissioners discussed limits per owner, ADU rules, tax collection and public-safety implications.
City staff recommended licensing as the preferred way for Dickinson to regulate short-term rentals (STRs) during a Planning and Zoning Commission work session on Oct. 8.
City planner Natalie Burczyk told commissioners Dickinson’s municipal code currently lacks a defined short-term rental use and that undefined uses are treated as prohibited. She summarized three possible approaches: allow STRs in residential districts through special-use permits (greater local control but resource-heavy), permit STRs by right (minimal oversight and enforcement limits), or require a city licensing program (staff-recommended). Burczyk said licensing would allow administrative approvals, collection of operator contact information and the ability to revoke licenses for repeated violations. “This would actually give the city the ability to enforce its guidelines through the ability to revoke a license,” Burczyk said.
Commissioners and staff discussed tax and licensing practices in other cities and the practical elements of a local licensing program. City/County planner Steve Josephson noted that other jurisdictions require annual licenses and designate a 24-hour contact person for complaints. Commissioners discussed limiting STRs to primary single-family residences (not apartment buildings), excluding ADUs from short-term rentals under current code (ADUs must be rented for more than 28 days), and imposing a cap on the number of licenses a single owner or holding company may hold to prevent concentration. Some commissioners said Dickinson’s current risk is lower than high‑tourism cities but that growth (including potential tourism from the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library) warranted a preemptive approach.
Staff said licensing would take time to establish because the city would need to draft license rules, decide fees and enforcement mechanisms, and determine which department would administer the program. Commissioners indicated support for a simple initial application that collects owner contact information and a responsible-party phone number to support complaint response, with the option to escalate to stricter controls if STR activity increases.
