Pasco council leans toward light-touch short-term rental rules; staff asked to draft ordinance

City staff presented a staff-recommended, light-touch short-term rental program and the Pasco City Council gave direction to draft an ordinance after a lengthy council and public discussion.

At the workshop, staff member Miss Sigell outlined a package that would require a state business license and a nontransferable city short-term rental permit, an annual safety self-certification (smoke alarms, egress), a local 24/7 contact for neighbor complaints, occupancy limits tied to dwelling size, no exterior advertising or signage, a renter information packet and a prohibition on uses such as weddings or large receptions. "We recognize there's a business being run in the city," Miss Sigell said; the permit and annual renewal were framed as ways to educate operators and provide a point of contact for enforcement.

Councilmembers repeatedly said they favored a hybrid, minimal-regulation approach. Councilmember Pales said platforms already impose many safety requirements and advocated for welcoming STRs "as long as they comply with state requirements." Mayor Promill and other members expressed support for a business-license-plus-permit approach while urging guardrails to protect neighborhoods.

Public commenters who operate STRs said the city should adopt rules that reflect how neighboring cities manage STRs and that platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO already require certain safety items. "We haven't presented data showing short-term rentals are significantly impacting our housing supply," said Shane Arnot, a Pasco resident who operates STRs and said his business is Roost Well Hosting, urging evidence-based rules and quick implementation. Other residents urged stricter oversight, citing past fires, parking problems and conversions of housing stock into transient units.

Staff estimated modest direct lodging-tax receipts to the city (staff said roughly $30,000) and cited a Visit Tri-Cities estimate that STR activity could generate about $1.5 million across the region in 2025. Council members asked staff to provide comparisons with neighboring cities (Kennewick and Richland were discussed) and to return with a draft ordinance and the proposed permit application.

On timing, staff committed to preparing an application within roughly 30 days. Council debated a compliance/grace period for existing operators—options ranged from 90 days to six months or through the end of the year—and discussed using a 120-day target (staff suggested aiming to have applications available by Nov. 1 so the grace period would run after ordinance adoption). No formal vote was taken; the council's direction was to return with ordinance language, an application, and options for the compliance period.

What happens next: staff will draft an ordinance and short-term rental permit application based on council direction, include proposed fees and enforcement language, and return to council for review ahead of any final adoption.

Quotes that capture the discussion: "These permits would be non-transferable… it would then allow us to educate the business owners who run short-term rentals what the requirements from the city of Pasco is," Miss Sigell said. "The platforms do their best," Councilmember Pales said. "I don't want to see adding more regulations… Just the less regulations the better." "We need evidence," Shane Arnot, an operator, said, urging the council to identify how many STRs operate in Pasco and the enforcement cost.

Ending: Council directed staff to draft an ordinance reflecting the hybrid, low-regulation approach and to return with an application and a recommended compliance window for council approval.