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Council reviews seasonal-rental enforcement options, staff to study fees and data systems
Summary
Council received a memorandum on seasonal rentals (30 days–9 months), heard that enforcement is currently limited, and directed staff to analyze software, staffing and fee levels so registration can be enforced rather than operate as an honor system.
The Newport City Council received a staff memorandum and an extended briefing on seasonal rentals — defined in the memo as non-owner-occupied rentals of between roughly 30 days and nine months — and discussed enforcement challenges, data gaps and possible fee changes.
Laura Swistak, who summarized the working group’s findings, told the council that enforcement is the central constraint: the software currently used for short-term rentals (govOS) does not support seasonal-rental tracking, so the city relies on an internal Microsoft Access database. “Enforcement really is the driver of why we really can't do anything right now,” Swistak said, explaining that stronger enforcement would require increased registration fees to fund additional staff and enforcement capacity.
Councilors pressed staff on the fee structure and legal limits. The solicitor and finance staff cautioned that any registration fee must be tied to the cost of administering and enforcing the program rather than serving as a revenue source. Council discussion referenced proposed fee ranges (example: registration $25→$100; inspection $25→$250) and the need for a staff cost analysis before setting higher fees comparable to short-term rental fees.
Members of the public and local real-estate representatives urged improved outreach to brokers and third-party listing sites to capture currently unregistered units. Louise Cardone said many seasonal listings appear on MLS and third-party platforms without registration; Hillary Marshall (RE/MAX Newport) recommended using broker portals and firm-level messaging to reach agents who list seasonal properties.
Administration committed to returning with an analysis: identify vendor/software options that can track 30-day-to-nine-month rentals, quantify enforcement staffing needs and estimate fees tied to administration and enforcement costs. The city manager said this will mirror the analysis done previously for short-term rentals and that staff will report back with clear recommendations on legal fee structure, potential staffing (including a possible code enforcement position) and any required ordinance changes.
No formal ordinance or fee change was adopted at the meeting; the memorandum was received and staff were tasked with follow-up work and recommendations to the council.
