Astoria council directs staff to draft vacation‑rental licensing ordinance with two‑year cycle; cap of 50 discussed

Astoria City Council members spent much of a March 6 work session examining a proposed vacation‑rental licensing program intended to give the city enforcement tools, set safety standards and limit growth of short‑term rentals.

Planner Tiffany Taylor told the council staff had compiled outreach materials, meeting minutes and written comments from operators and that the city’s inventory included “a potential 963 units available,” with 216 additional units reported as under development. She said the draft ordinance would add a definition for “vacation rental” — transient lodging of 30 days or less — and explained the licensing framework would allow the city to suspend or revoke permits that fail to meet standards.

Why it matters: Councilors framed the proposal primarily as a tool to protect housing availability and public safety while recognizing the economic role vacation rentals play in preserving some historic buildings. Councilors asked staff to refine the fee and inspection approach so the program would be manageable for both operators and city staff.

Staff proposal and safety requirements

Taylor said the ordinance draft includes an administrative license, fire and life‑safety inspections and a fee structure modeled on the city’s Homestay Lodging program. She described a proposed fee package including a $500 initial license, a $250 renewal and a $300 fire/life‑safety inspection; she also told council the city’s transient lodging tax is 13.5 percent and that the state now collects that tax on the city’s behalf.

Taylor emphasized the difference between insurance inspections and city code inspections, saying insurance reviews are for asset protection while city building‑official inspections are meant to protect human life: “The only way that, you get that is with a fire and life safety inspection by a building official,” she told council.

Council questions and staff clarifications

Council members pressed staff on the history of the code, how vacation rentals have been treated in the development code and how licensing would affect operators already in business. Taylor said the city identified 43 known operators and that staff had calculated 19 properties were conversions from dwellings.

City Manager Spence said the license fee is intended to cover staff time required for application review, inspections and any follow‑up enforcement: “If you just said 0 fee, that would I would argue would not make sense,” he said, explaining there is staff time associated with every application.

On inspectors, Taylor said state rules limit contracting inspections to unrelated third parties but allow someone to act on the city’s behalf through an agreement (for example, an intergovernmental agreement). She noted the city currently uses its own building officials for commercial inspections and said the fire marshal’s inspection cycle for similar commercial properties is about 18 months.

Council direction and next steps

During the discussion councilors expressed a preference for an inspection cadence and licensing cycle that reduces recurring administrative burden on operators. Several council members signaled support for a two‑year inspection and licensing cycle and asked staff to return with a draft ordinance and a clearer fee schedule that accounts for initial versus renewal workload. Councilors also debated a cap on licenses; a cap of 50 drew multiple expressions of support, and council discussed employing a wait list if the cap is reached.

No formal vote was taken at the work session; staff said they had the direction needed to prepare a formal ordinance, a fee schedule and implementation options for future consideration.

What’s next: Staff will prepare a draft ordinance and fee schedule reflecting the council’s direction on inspection cadence, fees and the proposed 50‑unit cap and return to council for formal consideration and public comment.