The Covington City Board of Commissioners will consider amendments to their current regulations on short-term rentals in the coming weeks per a brief discussion that occurred at the city caucus meeting on Tuesday.
Short-term rentals refer to residential properties that landlords rent out for short periods, in contrast to long-term rentals, where tenants reside in someone else’s property long-term. Short-term rentals are often advertised on popular web services like Airbnb and Vrbo; many often refer to short-term rentals as Airbnbs.
The city began seriously regulating short-term rentals in 2021 and established new regulations, including caps on the number of rental licenses allowed in specific neighborhoods, in June of 2023.
The proposed ordinance that came before the board on Tuesday would establish the following regulations (list is not exhaustive):
- Removing the requirement for a conditional use permit (and the accompanying fee) for establishing a short-term rental location, moving the approval process from the city’s architectural and review board directly to city staff
- Eliminating the city-wide maximum for short-term rentals
- Establishing caps on licensed properties in every neighborhood throughout the city; previous regulations only capped historic neighborhoods
- Granting the ability for neighbors and neighborhood associations to appeal the granting of a short-term license within 30 days if the applicant submits inaccurate information
- Licensing fees of $500 would go into effect on June 1
Mayor Joe Meyer stated that as of April 8, 93 short-term rental licenses had been issued in the city and 22 were still in process.
The commission will perform a first reading of the ordinance at the legislative meeting on Tuesday, April 23. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Covington City Hall on Pike Street.