Short Term Rentals

Housing Affordability

Short Term Rentals (STRs) - ex: AirBnB, VRBO, etc. - can affect GNAR communities in a multitude of ways. While a potential additional source of income for local homeowners, STRs can also lead to housing shortages, affordability issues, and shrinking community populations. Good local ordinances can help mitigate some of the worst impacts of STRs by helping preserve a community's character and keeping economic options available to community members. Below, we have gathered some guides and examples of local STR ordiances. Know of something we should add? Please send any feedback to liz.sodja@usu.edu .

Resources & Tools

WEBINAR: Short-Term Rental Trends & How to Craft an Ordinance to Handle Them

Part of our 2021 "How to Shred GNARly Problems" webinar series

Watch the Webinar

CAST: Vacation Home Rentals Best Practices

Despite being a few years old, the findings, trends, and best practices outlined in this 2015 report from the Colorado Association of Ski Towns (CAST) are still relevant and valuable. Click below to download the full report.

Download the Report

Park City, UT: Short-term Rental Website

Park City's nightly rental website is a good example of a concise and simple website conveying local laws and needs to STR homeowners. Everything is in one place, including a complaint form for locals who are concerned about an STR in their community.

National League of Cities Website

Sandpoint, ID: Non-local Owner STR Limits

In June of 2018, The Sandpoint City Council revised their STR ordinances. A valid permit must be in place to operate a short term rental within the City of Sandpoint. Review the code. Within the residential zones, there may be no more than one STR per parcel. Additionally, there are two categories of vacation rentals within residential zones which have different standards: Owner Occupied and Non-owner Occupied. Learn more below.

Sandpoint STR Page

Short-Term/Transient Rental Rules Mono County California

As part of the Mono County, CA General Plan, Transient Rental Overlay Districts were designated to provide oversight and curb the proliferations of unauthorized STRs. Chapter 25 provides STR definitions and the process of permitting, including giving notice to surrounding property owners. Chapter 26 outlines new STR standards and enforcement mechanisms.

Short Term Rental Page

South Lake Tahoe: Measure T

Measure T was a hotly contested citizen-initiated ballot measure that amended City regulations on vacation home rentals (VHRs) in South Lake Tahoe. Measure T requires the phase-out of all VHR permits in residential areas and all multi-family properties over a three-year period, with full implementation of these provisions to occur by December 31, 2021.

Measure T FAQs

Tahoe Home Connection: STR Alternative

Tahoe Home Connection (TaHoCo) is a community-based program in the South Shore of Lake Tahoe that works with second homeowners to rent their properties on a seasonal or longer-term basis to professionals and service industry employees working on the South Shore.

Tahoe Home Connection Site

Host Compliance: Learning Center

Host Compliance is a service offered by Granicus. While Host Compliance itself is a paid STR management system, they have a number of free online resources and webinars about STR best practices from communities they work with. On their learning center page, select "Host Compliance" from the "All Solutions Areas" dropdown to filter to get their STR specific resources.

Granicus Learning Center

Inside AirBnB

Inside AirBnB provides resources for cities seeking to regulate short-term rentals. Resources include case studies and sample ordinances from cities throughout the United States.

Institute Website

Research & Case Studies

REPORT - Impacts of STRs on Traditional Hotels - DOWNLOAD

This report is focused on STR impacts on hotels, but also has some interesting growth rates and percentages about the changing STR trends across the country.