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City staff outline licensing overhaul, planned software move to improve rental and short-term rental enforcement
Summary
Deputy city manager and code enforcement staff described a framework to shift to licensing (rental, short-term rental, vacant-property registries), adopt the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, migrate enforcement to a unified GOV software platform this summer, and tighten inspections and fines for unlicensed rentals.
City staff told the council on June 9 that they will transition College Park’s rental- and property-enforcement processes from the current fragmented systems to a consolidated licensing framework and a single software platform to improve tracking and enforcement.
Deputy City Manager Michelle Billy Hedgepath presented the rationale: multiple, siloed systems (Accela/Asella and GOV used by different departments) create duplicate records and missed alerts. Staff recommended migrating permitting and licensing into the GOV platform this summer to restore automated renewal notices, unify data on rentals, short-term rentals and vacant properties and support mobile field inspections.
Code enforcement supervisor Derek Davies and manager David Spalding described the operational workflow: staff will research complaints, assign officers, perform field inspections and issue notices of violation when warranted. The city will formalize separate license types for long-term rentals, short-term rentals, vacant-property registries and certain Chapter 129 special licenses.
Council members and staff discussed enforcement tools and next steps. Staff said the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code is the likely update for adoption (the county remains on 2021), and that code and fee changes are anticipated in an August–November code-amendment window. Staff also noted a high fine tier for unlicensed rentals: during Q&A staff noted the current fine for renting without a city license is $2,500 (discussion noted by staff during the meeting).
On short-term rentals, staff said the city will use online listing monitoring (Airbnb and other platforms) alongside complaint-driven investigations; they will explore vendor/AI tools to identify listings citywide and are evaluating options for initial baselines. Staff also highlighted an ongoing public-works trash-bin inventory exercise to help flag overcrowding and unlicensed multi-occupancy properties.
Next steps: staff plans a summer implementation of the GOV licensing module, training for code staff, fall public launch of registration/licensing changes and targeted enforcement. Council members asked staff for a public-facing rental lookup (to let residents see whether a property is permitted) and for more outreach to students and tenants about rules and expectations.
