Residents urge action on short-term rentals; staff outlines regulatory options

Becky Warren, a Harbor Town resident, urged the INR committee to act on short-term rentals she says are disrupting her neighborhood, citing multiple calls to police, blocked streets and an incident where "someone who was training an attack dog off leash in the yard of the Airbnb," a residence across from her. "Short term renters don't care about the neighborhood they're renting in or what they do or how it affects the long term residents," Warren said during public comment.

Planning staff member Evan Day told the committee short-term rental rules could be implemented several ways — through zoning changes, a permit/registration program, occupancy and parking limits, and a local contact requirement to handle complaints. "We could do a tier where we do minimum enforcement ... or a high enforcement where we regulate through a variety of zoning districts," Day said, outlining the tradeoffs and noting peer approaches: Conway uses zoning, North Myrtle Beach uses permits and Myrtle Beach uses zoning. Day said staff estimates enforcement needs from about one additional staff at a low enforcement level to five–eight staff for a high-enforcement regime.

Council members discussed legal and practical limits to enforcement: county staff and the fire marshal noted state building and fire codes do not establish occupancy limits for single-family residences, which constrains enforcement through existing state codes. Council members asked staff to return with specific options and cost estimates for implementation; staff agreed to prepare recommendations and a timetable for further discussion.