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Staff proposes short‑term rental registration to measure scale and protect housing stock
Summary
Staff presented AirDNA data showing a shift toward longer STR stays and recommended starting with an annual registration program to inventory units, verify safety and occupancy standards, and build a data set before considering broader regulation.
Robert, the code officer, told the council that short‑term rentals (STRs) in Ellsworth have shifted toward longer stays and that staff lacks a definitive local inventory. He said third‑party data (AirDNA) show an increase in listings and a move toward more days rented, which can mask whether units are being used as permanent housing or hospitality.
Robert proposed beginning with a registration program to capture how many STR units exist, occupancy limits, and safety compliance (smoke and carbon monoxide detectors). “Basically what I'm asking for is if there's any interest in me pursuing this as a registration so that we know where they are, how many they are, what their occupancies are,” Robert said.
Council members generally favored starting with registration and asked staff to prepare a focused workshop with data and options for potential regulatory approaches. Councilors and stakeholders raised concerns about the effect of STRs on housing availability; staff estimated that a substantial share of housing may be used for STRs but said precise counts require registration or tax‑data crosschecks.
Staff said registration could be ready by late spring or early summer to capture the summer season and help the city build a baseline for longer policy decisions.
