Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Short Term Rentals topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Staff outlines comprehensive short-term rental code overhaul; rule changes already adopted by City Council
Summary
Midway staff summarized a comprehensive rewrite of short-term rental rules (moved to business licensing), including removal of a 48-hour minimum stay, one-hour property-manager complaint response, joint liability for owners and managers, neighbor consent for shared-driveway units, posted contact/safety info and occupancy/parking limits.
City staff told the planning commission that Midway has comprehensively revamped its short-term rental (vacation/ nightly rental) rules, moving enforcement and licensing provisions into the business-licensing section of the code rather than Title 16. Staff said Midway was among the first Utah communities to adopt a short-term rental code in about 2006 and that changes reflect both experience and recent state-law shifts.
Key changes highlighted by the staff member include removal of an administratively difficult 48-hour minimum-stay requirement so nightly rentals are allowed; a requirement that property managers respond to complaints within one hour; joint liability for owners and property managers for ordinance violations; a requirement to prove payment of transient taxes for license renewal; a mandate that certain residential units with shared driveways or common walls obtain neighbors' written, recorded consent to become licensed; exterior and interior posted information (manager contact, fire-extinguisher locations, rules and maximum occupancies); limits on overnight occupancy (up to 14 people for some units, smaller units limited accordingly); and clearer enforcement provisions including license-revocation thresholds (revocation possible after two violations, which can occur in one night).
Staff emphasized that because these rules are in the business-license section, they typically come before City Council rather than the planning commission; staff offered this briefing so the planning commission could be aware of the recent changes and their practical effects on enforcement and neighborhood impacts.
The commission did not take a formal vote on these changes; staff said the city council had already adopted code revisions and that conditional-use permits or licensing actions may come before the planning commission in the future when applicants pursue specific permits.
