ROCKLAND, Maine — The City Council again will consider whether it should regulate short-term rentals, three months after it backed off such proposals in the face of opposition from homeowners who rent out rooms.
Proposals by the Legislature to impose state regulations on short-term vacation rentals failed when the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee voted 12-0 to kill the bill, LD 436. Lodging business owners turned out to support the legislation, saying it would create a level playing field while a much larger contingent of people who rent out rooms through programs such as airbnb or cabins argued against new regulations, saying they were not necessary.
At that legislative hearing, Holly Lusk, senior health policy adviser for Gov. Paul LePage, said the governor instead wanted to remove any licensing requirements in place for lodging businesses.
The City Council is scheduled to discuss a revised set of regulations for short-term rentals Monday evening. The ordinance then could go before the Council for a preliminary vote on July 13.
“I feel that this proposal is very reasonable,” Code Enforcement John Root told city councilors in a memo.
Under the revised proposal, a homeowner who rents a single-family residence for six to 30 days, would need to get a permit from the code officer. Homeowners who want to rent their homes for six days or fewer at a time would need planning board approval. No permit would be needed for single-family homes being rented for 30 days or more.
No permit would be needed for single-family residences if it is rented for no more than 14 days in the entire year; the homeowner would only need to notify the code office. Root said earlier this year that such a plan would allow people to rent out during busy festival times, such as during the North Atlantic Blues Festival or Maine Lobster Festival.
Similar requirements would be in place for two-family residences.
The full proposal is included in the city council’s agenda packet.