Covington Mayor Ron Washington and the city have spoken out against state-level control of short-term rentals.
Specifically, the city is criticizing Kentucky Senate Bill 110, which would prohibit local governments from mandating conditional use permits or density-based restrictions on short-term rental properties, which are private properties that owners rent out to people for short stays. The bill is currently in committee.
Although the city has not passed an official resolution against the bill, the mayor told attendees at Tuesday’s commission meeting that he didn’t “believe that Frankfort should be necessarily be trying to set policy on this issues for the city of Covington. I think it’s best for local control.”
Covington has implemented several pieces of legislation over the past two years to regulate the proliferation of short-term rentals in the city. It began regulating short-term rentals in 2021 when city staff noticed their increased popularity, especially in neighborhoods closer to the riverfront.
Visitors often come to Covington to use it as a place to stay for big events across the river in Cincinnati, like football games and conventions. In an effort to head it off, the city instituted a moratorium on new licensures for short-term rentals at the end of 2022.
Following several rounds of public comments and deliberations, the city finally instituted a set of policy regulations, including caps on the number of rentals in particular neighborhoods in June 2023.
“Covington leaders spent almost four years engaging with its property owners and neighborhood advocates to find the proper balance that works for our unique community,” Washington said in a city press release. “Our intent – and we believe we succeeded – was to retain property owners’ ability to create businesses and make money while also preserving the residential character of our neighborhoods, safeguarding the availability of housing here, and protecting our residents from the negative effects of bad actors who are using these rentals for parties.”
Newport and Independence have also come out against SB 110, issuing similar comments about local control and the preservation of neighborhood character.