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Portsmouth council weighs rules for short‑term rentals amid complaints about noise, parking and safety
Summary
Council members heard a planning presentation and exchanged questions about safety incidents, enforcement costs and potential registration or licensing requirements as staff prepare draft ordinance options for stakeholder review.
At a Tuesday work session, Portsmouth planners briefed the City Council on short‑term rentals, saying the city currently lacks prescriptive local regulations and asking for direction on drafting an ordinance to address neighborhood impacts.
Dr. Russell, the staff presenter, told council that short‑term rentals are defined in this discussion as dwellings rented for less than 30 days and that Portsmouth’s local code is largely silent where the Code of Virginia allows owner‑occupied short‑term rentals. She said only six property owners had obtained zoning clearances while online platforms showed “more than 20 pages of listings” that appear to offer whole properties, which “anecdotally does suggest that we have a problem,” she said.
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