Boise council narrowly passes short-term rental ordinance. Here’s what you need to know
It didn’t take long, but Boise residents, homeowners and visitors can expect new short-term rental regulations soon.
The Boise City Council narrowly approved a short-term rental ordinance by a 3-2 vote, the first in the city of Boise, after only a few minutes of discussion. The ordinance will require operators of short-term rentals — often rented out on such platforms as Airbnb and Vrbo — to acquire an annual license from the city.
The license requires an owner to register the owner’s name, physical address, phone number, email address, information on safety equipment, and a description of the property being rented. Operators will have to pay an $80 fee for the license.
The ordinance goes into effect May 6.
The number of short-term rentals in the Boise area has exploded in recent years, now nearing around 1,200 total units by some estimates. Opponents argue that the rentals have taken a chunk out of otherwise available housing in a city with one of the tightest markets in the nation.
The council, though, remained divided on the ordinance, with Council Members Patrick Bageant and Luci Willits voting against it. Council President Elaine Clegg was absent.
Bageant repeated his argument that he did not believe the city has the authority to issue such an ordinance, citing a 2017 state law that prevents regulation of the short-term rental market except in matters of public safety.
“I don’t see where this really gets us,” Bageant said of the ordinance. “And I don’t see it as addressing the heart of the public safety concerns we may well have.”
Council Member Holli Woodings said the ordinance was to ensure that units had safety equipment installed and that the city had a record of which homes were operating as short-term rentals.
Other Idaho cities like Sandpoint, Rexburg and Ketchum have passed their own short-term rental policies, some of which have imposed harsher restrictions, such as limiting where and how many rentals can exist in a certain area.
The vote came after months of back and forth about a possible ordinance. Twice the City Council sent back a draft version to Mayor Lauren McLean’s office.
At a public hearing on Jan. 11, dozens of people — mostly short-term rental owners — spoke against the ordinance, expressing fears that it could lead to further restrictions. Among them was the Boise Regional Realtors, which campaigned in 2019 against former Mayor David Bieter’s proposed ordinance, which was pulled back before a vote could take place.
This story was originally published March 16, 2022 at 4:00 AM.
.jpg)