Commission seeks county‑attorney guidance on whether short‑term rentals can be defined as 'commercial'

Commission staff told the Page County Planning Commission they would present a packet of specific legal questions to the county attorney after the meeting. The staff position—as described in the discussion—was that a registry recommendation came from the county attorney and that state authorizing language limits what the registry may lawfully require: "the state authorizing language for a registry can only seek those 3 items," the Planning Director said.

Commissioners repeatedly returned to one core legal issue: whether the county can treat short‑term rentals as a commercial use (which would change enforcement and how restrictive covenants interact with zoning) or whether building‑code and state guidance make them a residential use for land‑use purposes. The commission asked staff to clarify three potential SUP triggers for attorney review: number of bedrooms, whether a property sits on a private road (not VDOT‑maintained), and whether proximity (example discussed: 300 feet) to a neighboring dwelling should require an SUP. The commission did not adopt any position before getting the attorney's written guidance.