Clatsop County weighs rules for short-term rentals in floating residences
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Summary
County staff presented options to allow or limit short-term rentals (STRs) in floating residences in the AC2 zone; staff identified three paths (leave code as-is, draft amendments to allow multiple STRs per parcel with parking exceptions, or update building code), and commissioners asked for more research and to return the item later.
Clatsop County commissioners took up a work-session report on whether to allow short-term rentals in floating residences and what code changes would be required to do so.
Gail Henriksen, community development director, said staff surveyed nearby jurisdictions and found varying approaches: Scappoose generally disallows STRs, Columbia County allows them without specific rules, and Portland and Multnomah County regulate floating homes through local building-code amendments because the state building code does not address floating structures. Henriksen said one existing short-term rental in a float house in Clatsop County is grandfathered under ordinance 2205.
Henriksen laid out three options for the board: keep the code as it is (allow the grandfathered STR but not new ones), direct staff to prepare code amendments to allow more than one STR tied to a single land-use parcel (including crafting parking exceptions for floating residences), or update Title 15 (the local building code) to require permits for structural alterations to floating structures. She estimated a code-amendment process would take about four to six months.
Commissioners discussed practical issues: Henriksen reported the county has 49 floating residences and 38 recreational cabins classified as floating dwellings across multiple waterways including the John Day River, Lewis and Clark River and parts of the Columbia and Nehalem Rivers. Commissioners raised concerns about parking, utilities, enforcement and the risk of unregistered STRs operating without oversight. Commissioner Michelle Banks urged allowing property owners to use their property while acknowledging caps and local differences; others urged caution and more research.
The board agreed to ask staff for additional investigation and to return the topic to a later work session so absent commissioners can weigh in. No code amendments or votes were adopted; staff will report back with more detail if directed.
