Irving council tightens short‑term rental rules for single‑family neighborhoods

The Irving City Council unanimously approved an ordinance July 30 that tightens regulations on short‑term rentals in single‑family neighborhoods, requiring certain short‑term units to obtain conditional use permits and aligning zoning code language with the city's existing chapter that governs rental activity.

Residents who live near properties used as short‑term rentals urged the change during the public comment period. Richard Martin told the council that “short term rentals can cause a split in the neighborhoods. It can divide the neighbors. It can, bring down the value of a neighborhood” and urged the council to distinguish Airbnb‑type rentals from rooming or boarding houses. Brian Burns said the issue is about “protecting the character in neighborhoods that were built for permanent residents, not revolving door lodging,” citing worries about parking, noise and safety.

City planning staff explained the legal distinctions the ordinance is intended to clarify. Jocelyn, a city planning official, said “short term rentals are anything less than 30 days” and therefore are distinct from rooming houses, which typically involve stays longer than 30 days and different zoning rules. Staff told the council they will return with clarified language addressing rooming and boarding houses and will coordinate with code enforcement to strengthen compliance checks.

Council members framed the ordinance as a first step. One council member said the rule is intended to ensure “single family neighborhood[s] should be exactly that, single family neighborhoods,” and several members thanked residents and staff for their work on the issue. Councilman Fogg moved to approve the ordinance; a second was made and the motion passed unanimously.

The ordinance (UDC amendment, ordinance 2026‑160) places a short‑term rental definition in the Unified Development Code and makes short‑term rentals in certain residential districts subject to conditional use permitting and related requirements. Council members said further enforcement and possible additional language updates will follow as staff evaluates code compliance and resident reports.

The council directed staff to continue refining the language to exclude rooming and boarding houses from short‑term rental allowances and to coordinate with code enforcement to identify properties for follow‑up. No specific enforcement deadlines were set at the meeting.