Vail council to consider changes to short-term rental regulations
The Vail Town Council will consider first reading of an ordinance to modify the town’s short-term rental regulations at its meeting on Tuesday, May 17. The action item is listed as 7.3 on the meeting agenda, which begins at 6 p.m. in the Vail Town Council Chambers.
Modifications to Vail’s short-term rental regulations contained in Ordinance No. 11 were developed based on conclusions from a comprehensive study on short-term rental activity in Vail conducted by Economic & Planning Systems and RRC & Associates with the objective to determine the effect of short-term rentals on local housing. It analyzed current regulations, real estate market impacts, peer community approaches to regulation and the composition of registered short-term rental properties throughout town.
Proposed updates to the short-term rental regulations as outlined in Ordinance No. 11 include:
- Increased fines for violations and late license renewals
- Flat fee of $150 per unit to cover costs of short-term rental administration and enforcement
- Enactment of per-bedroom fees to be applied toward deed-restricted housing with lower fees for units rented 30 days or fewer per year and owner-occupied primary residences
- Revising health and life safety standards to include proof of inspection every three years and proof of insurance covering short-term rental activity
The town’s short-term rental regulations were adopted in 2017 and became effective March 1, 2018, and currently require an annual registration fee of $150 for owners wishing to rent their property for 30 days or less using Airbnb, VRBO or other listings. Properties professionally managed or with a 24/7 front desk pay $5-$10 per unit. The regulations also address properties using onsite or offsite professional property managers.
Town Council has held multiple review sessions to evaluate the proposed modifications that have been used in drafting Ordinance 11. The modifications would become effective at the annual license renewal date of Feb. 28 upon approval of two readings by Town Council.
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To review the staff memo outlining the modifications, visit the town’s website at VailGov.com or for questions, contact Finance Director Kathleen Halloran at 970-479-2116. Opportunities for public comment are available in advance of the meeting by emailing publicinput.vailtowncouncil@vailgov.com or will be available in-person at the meeting or virtually by registering at VailGov.com/town-council. The meeting will be live streamed by High Five Access Media.
