City staff initially proposed requiring short-term rental operators to obtain a zoning use permit.
CHARLOTTE, NC — A growing number of people in Charlotte are making extra money by renting their homes on Airbnb. City of Charlotte staff are working on the Unified Development Ordinance, which says what can be built in Charlotte and where. They recently released the second draft.
At first there were proposals for short-term rental regulations, but now they have been removed.
“For now, it has been removed from the last draft, it will be adopted without regulations on short-term rental”, President of the urban planning commission Keba Samuel said.
City staff initially proposed requiring short-term rental operators to obtain a zoning use permit. It also required that whole-home rentals be separated by at least 400 feet.
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“The reason it was included in the first place is because of the massive amounts of complaints the city has received regarding uses of these Airbnbs, regarding parties,” Samuel said.
From noise to parking issues to illegal activity, complaints about short-term rentals vary.
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Now the complaints might keep coming. The city is pausing regulation, citing a recent court case in Wilmington that could prompt state legislation on what cities can and cannot require of short-term rental operators.
“We want to make sure that nothing we do would expose the city to liability, so it’s best to wait for the state to rule on that,” Samuel said.
This comes as Airbnb rentals are becoming increasingly popular.
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According Airdnaa vacation rental search company, there are over 3,500 active rentals this month.
Samuel said the Unified Development Ordinance may bring changes in the future when it comes to short-term rental regulations.
There is still time to express any concerns to the UDO. Interested persons can submit a comment online. It is scheduled for a city council vote in late August.
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