Decatur City Council approves short-term rental ordinance with new enforcement rules amid neighborhood concerns

Decatur City Council approved an amendment to the city’s short-term rental ordinance on a 4–2–1 vote after a lengthy public hearing and debate.

The ordinance, recorded as Ordinance 264633, restores a cap of 150 STRs in residential zones that had not been previously excluded from density limits, requires owners or the owner’s agent to be located within 50 miles of Decatur City limits and able to respond to a complaint within one hour, and moves the start of application acceptance from May 1 to April 1, 2026. It also assigns full responsibility to the lessee for all activities occurring on the property during a rental period and changes parking rules so the number of overnight vehicles cannot exceed the number of off‑street parking spaces approved by the city planning department; appeals on parking exceptions may go to the Board of Zoning Adjustment.

Planning staff (Chad) told council the ordinance reflects planning-commission input and edits made after public comment. In describing the changes, Chad said the city removed several prescriptive parking subsections (including a per‑bedroom parking minimum and a prohibition on using on‑street parking to meet minimums) and restored a density cap to protect neighborhoods.

Public testimony was mixed. Andrea Hoffmeyer Wilson of Carradale Street said last‑minute changes after public review risked neighborhood character and affordable housing, arguing ‘‘lifting the STR density degrades that’’ and criticizing the move from 135 to 150 as not having been published in the agenda packet. Rob Wilson of Decatur said the updated ordinance closes loopholes and that a cap of 150 was preferable to leaving the city uncapped, but he pressed the council on enforcement capacity, staffing needs and whether the city can recover unpaid occupancy taxes from operators who previously lacked licenses. Sharon Williams of Somerville urged approval, saying furnished short‑term units play a role as temporary housing for displaced families and that the amendments improve operators’ ability to comply.

Council members debated enforcement readiness, software vendors and timing. Planning staff said the city is vetting two software providers to assist licensing and enforcement and that at least one vendor indicated they could be ready by April 1; staff said they would meet with the companies that week to confirm implementation details. Council members noted the city’s limited ability to pursue retroactive tax collection but emphasized that licensing and monitoring will begin on implementation and that three verified complaints can lead to license loss under the new warning system.

Council Member [name as recorded in the minutes] moved to amend the ordinance, the council then approved a motion for immediate consideration (which requires unanimity) and completed a final roll‑call vote. The ordinance passed with four votes in favor, two opposed and one recorded as an abstention.

The ordinance will take effect according to the implementation schedule in the text (applications beginning April 1, 2026) and staff said they would continue vendor discussions to ensure enforcement systems are in place. The council did not adopt any additional neighborhood‑specific exemptions; one member said they could not support the ordinance because it did not provide protections they wanted for particular neighborhoods.

Next steps for the ordinance include staff finalizing vendor contracts and beginning the application and licensing process ahead of the April 1 start date. The council’s action was procedural and regulatory; no budget appropriation was recorded in the motion beyond staff’s representations about vendor timing and existing enforcement resources.