The City of Decorah is getting close to approving regulations for AirBnBs and other short-term rentals

The Decorah City Council next month is expected to vote on new regulations for short-term rentals in the city, including AirBnBs.

The city's Planning & Zoning Commission has approved new language for city code which regulates rental housing, so that short-term rentals would be covered, in addition to the current regulations for long-term rentals. 

Passage of the new language would require all short-term rental properties to be registered with the City and to pay sales taxes and lodging taxes.  The registration process also would be a way for the City to provide information on garbage collection, recycling, parking regulations and other topics affected by the short-term rentals.

One major provision of the new language is the requirement that each rental unit must be posted with information on how to contact the owner or their agent 24 hours a day in case of emergencies.  The owner or agent must respond within one hour to an emergency call, or risk losing the license for the rental property.

In addition to the regulations concerning emergency notifications, the proposed ordinance will continue to include existing language about minimum property standards, including electrical system, water heaters, smoke alarms, plumbing systems and fire protection.  

Finally, the ordinance, if approved by the Decorah City Council, would require landlords to collect and send in all applicable local, state and federal taxes, including the hotel/motel tax.