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City steps up enforcement of unlicensed short‑term rentals as planning board studies ordinance options
Summary
Birmingham staff identified rental listings, issued appearance tickets for unlicensed short‑term rentals and coordinated police and code enforcement; the planning board will continue drafting zoning and licensing language with a joint commission meeting set for June 15.
City staff reported increased enforcement of unlicensed short‑term rentals and described near‑term planning work to consider zoning and license changes.
The building official told the commission that the city’s review identified a number of rental listings on platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo. Staff said they found properties that were not registered and that municipal code requires licensing; those properties have been issued appearance tickets requiring court appearance and compliance. "Anyone that we found that was not registered has received a ticket," the building official said. Staff noted the city currently has a moratorium on new short‑term rental licenses for stays under 30 days and will not accept new short‑term licensing applications while the ordinance work proceeds.
Police, planning and code enforcement staff have coordinated to document complaints and calls for service tied to suspected short‑term rentals; police records from the packet showed limited recent calls specifically tied to rentals but staff said they are tracking complaints and evidence for enforcement actions. The building official said the city has reached out to platforms to request delisting of unlicensed properties, but cooperation from listing platforms has been inconsistent.
Separately, the planning board has opened a review of possible ordinance changes, including district‑specific rules, potential owner‑occupied carve‑outs and how to treat mixed‑use and downtown districts. Planning board members asked for additional data on rental density, mapped listings and legal guidance about whether zoning mechanisms can be used to eliminate short‑term rental licenses in particular districts. The planning board will continue its discussion on June 10 and expects a joint meeting with the city commission on June 15 to review options.
What’s next: Staff will provide additional inventory, density and mapping data to the planning board and pursue takedown requests with listing platforms; the planning board will return with draft ordinance language for joint consideration with the commission.
