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Southwest Harbor must adopt a formal ordinance if it wants enforceable short-term rental registration rules The Mount Desert Island town currently has no short-term rental ordinance in place New Maine legislation gives island communities until July 1, 2027, to comply with state requirements A popular Maine coastal town wants a better handle on its short-term rentals, but town officials learned this week that a simple policy will not be enough.

Short-term rentals now account for 32 percent of visitor nights in Whitefish, Montana, ahead of hotels and motels Available listings jumped from roughly 140 in 2016 to more than 1,300 today Occupancy swings from about 25 percent in slower months to 85 percent in July A Montana mountain town near Glacier National Park has quietly become a short-term rental powerhouse. In Whitefish, vacation rentals have surged nearly 900 percent in less than a decade.

County staff estimate a dedicated short-term rental enforcement program would cost $1.5 million in year one The program would require 11 new positions plus roughly $237,000 annually for software Commissioners held a work session Wednesday but were not expected to adopt an ordinance Enforcing new short-term rental rules in Manatee County could cost taxpayers $1.5 million in the first year alone.

A New York town says an Airbnb-listed RV with 10 beds qualifies as a hotel under its zoning code The owner can seek a special use permit, request a zoning variance or replace the RV with a smaller unit The dispute shows how something as simple as bed count can push a short-term rental into an entirely different regulatory category How many beds does it take before a short-term rental becomes a hotel? In one small New York town, the answer appears to be 10.

St. Augustine has about 1,000 registered short-term rentals, or roughly one for every nine housing units Vacation rental code cases have increased sharply over the past four years, with noise, trash and parking among the most common complaints Owners will move to a new registration system in October, along with a rolling annual inspection schedule Short-term rentals are booming in the oldest city in America.

Puerto Vallarta vacation rental occupancy softened this summer, with July at 22.5% versus 28.2% a year earlier Longer stays are helping offset some of the decline in reservation counts, especially during peak winter months Rental supply has grown more than 80% over the past decade, giving travelers more choices and increasing competition for hosts Puerto Vallarta’s short-term rental market is giving U.S. owners and investors a reminder that fewer bookings do not always mean fewer occupied...

Scottsdale’s city council voted unanimously Aug. 24 to expand short-term rental contact requirements beyond emergencies The city’s existing 24/7 contact mandate now also covers non-emergency complaints answered by phone or email Police gain an added enforcement tool for loud outdoor gatherings at rental properties Scottsdale short-term rental hosts now have to make sure their round-the-clock emergency contact also answers the phone for complaints that aren’t emergencies.

St. Louis is using revenue from a 3 percent short-term rental fee to help fund legal representation for tenants facing eviction The fee also directs money toward affordable housing and assistance for impacted tenants The city’s eviction-defense program is getting roughly $1 million in fiscal 2027, allowing it to significantly expand its legal staff Governments are using short-term rental fees in some pretty creative ways.

Hopkins, Minnesota, has dropped a case-by-case zoning approval requirement for short-term rentals in neighborhood districts The Minneapolis suburb initially pumped the brakes on the proposal in July before approving a revised ordinance Aug. 3 Hosts still face city licensing, inspections and rules covering noise, parking and other neighborhood issues A Minneapolis suburb just made it easier to legally operate a short-term rental in a residential neighborhood.

Tybee Island City Council voted to amend its short-term rental ordinance, setting new sector caps as high as 60% in tourist zones. The new framework creates four residential sectors with permit caps ranging from 175 to 250 units, potentially opening up ~168 new rental slots. The ordinance mandates local emergency contacts, stricter parking/occupancy rules, and violation fines scaling up to $1,000. Tybee Island is officially shaking up its short-term rental landscape.