Council hears plan to require registration, two-night minimum and third-party vendor to enforce short-term rentals

City staff described a proposed rental ordinance that would expand the city’s rental registration system to cover short-term rentals, set new safety and reporting requirements for senior multifamily units, and create an enforcement model that relies on a third-party vendor.

Monica explained the draft would require every short-term rental to post a local emergency contact within 25 miles who can respond within one hour, carry $1,000,000 in liability insurance, register for hotel-occupancy (HOT) taxes and meet occupancy limits (no more than 10 people and five guest rooms). "The rental unit must be rented for at least 2 nights consecutive nights," Monica said; staff said the two-night minimum is proposed to reduce one-night party rentals.

On enforcement and revenue collection, staff proposed contracting a vendor to identify listings by data-mining online platforms, send notices and collect fees on the city’s behalf. Staff said the vendor model would minimize extra staff workload and estimated the annual contract at under $20,000. During discussion staff said the city currently has about 100 active short-term rentals at typical times and has seen roughly 300 unique properties listed in the past one to two years; the vendor would provide continuous monitoring and outreach as new listings appear.

Councilmembers asked about fee collection, whether platforms like Airbnb or VRBO already remit HOT taxes and how the city would receive remitted funds. Staff said the vendor can help match platforms to owners and facilitate collection; if violations persist, the city would issue citations following the vendor’s notices. Council asked staff to present the ordinance to HOAs on April 23 and to return with refined language and enforcement details before a final adoption vote.