Executive Summary
Mohave County, Arizona is reclassifying short-term rentals as commercial property, pushing the assessment ratio from 10% to 15% and raising tax bills; more than 900 of the county's 3,500-plus STRs have already been switched, and the Goldwater Institute says the move violates a 2016 state law that defines rentals to lodgers as residential. Nevada City, California is putting a measure on the November ballot that caps whole-home rentals at 2% of housing stock, which would trim the city's 53 whole-house STRs to roughly 43 while leaving its 18 hosted units uncapped. Orem, Utah pushed off a vote that could ban short-term rentals entirely, leaving owners who say the city approved their purchases waiting on a decision. North Charleston, South Carolina stripped a $1,000 permit-transfer provision from its ordinance, so permits still die at closing, and the whole draft is back at the Planning Commission after the July 23 vote was pulled. Folly Beach, South Carolina spent its work session scoping an independent study on its 800-permit cap and votes August 11 on the request for proposals. In Colorado, ski-resort STRs closed 2025 at 25% paid occupancy and are pacing at 18% for 2026, and primary upsets could bring tighter state-level oversight into a softening market.
New Regulations
Mohave County, Arizona
Tax / Property Classification · Published July 24, 2026
Mohave County Assessor Jeanne Kentch is reclassifying short-term rentals from residential to commercial, which raises the assessment ratio from 10% to 15% and increases the property tax bill. Her office has already reclassified more than 900 of the county's 3,500-plus STRs, and owners with escrowed taxes will see higher mortgage payments as a result.
→ Source: Mohave County reclassifies short-term rentals to commercial, drawing opposition
Developing Regulations
Nevada City, California
Permit Caps / Ballot Measure · Published July 22, 2026
Nevada City is sending a revised short-term rental ordinance to the November 2026 ballot that would cap whole-home STRs at 2% of the city's housing stock, shrinking the current 53 whole-house rentals to about 43 as permits go unrenewed. The city's 18 hosted rentals, where the owner lives on site, would face no cap, and the measure also moves future amendment authority from voters to the City Council.
Orem, Utah
Zoning / Prohibition · Published July 23, 2026
Orem delayed a vote that could ban short-term rentals outright, allow them in limited form, or set new rules, leaving owners without a decision. Several homeowners say they got city sign-off up to the supervisor level and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars before learning the existing code already bars STRs, and the city says recent changes in state law are what prompted the review.
→ Source: Orem short-term rental owners await city decision after vote delayed
North Charleston, South Carolina
Licensing / Permit Transfers · Published July 22, 2026
North Charleston's Public Safety Committee stripped a proposal that would have let short-term rental permits transfer to a new owner for a $1,000 fee, a change city staff had pitched to close a loophole where owners sell the LLC instead of the property. The rest of the ordinance advanced and would exempt properties with 20 or more units, up from 10, plus business-zoned rentals from the cap of 60 permits per district, but the final vote was pulled on July 23 and the draft returns to the Planning Commission next month.
→ Source: North Charleston updates short-term rental regulations
Folly Beach, South Carolina
Permit Caps · Published July 21, 2026
Folly Beach City Council spent its July 21 work session defining what an independent study must measure before the city touches the 800-permit cap voters approved in 2023, and took no public comment. Council wants data on housing, tourism, livability and property values, with views ranging from keeping the cap to lowering it or dropping it, and a final vote on the study's request for proposals is set for August 11.
→ Source: Folly Beach City Council continues scrutiny of short-term rental ordinance
Omaha, Nebraska
Registration / Licensing · Published July 25, 2026
Omaha City Councilman Ron Hug plans to introduce a short-term rental ordinance within a month that would require operators to register a manager's name and contact information so police and code officials can reach someone during an emergency. Hug first wanted Omaha to copy Lincoln's model, where the city can revoke a license after three disturbance complaints in a year, but pushback led him to start with the narrower registration rule and add accountability measures later.
→ Source: Omaha City Leaders Look to Regulate Short-Term Rentals
Colorado (statewide)
General / Policy Outlook · Published July 25, 2026
Progressive wins in Colorado's Democratic primary could shift how the state handles short-term rentals just as the market softens, with resort communities running behind last year's pace while non-ski areas lead on occupancy. Key Data's Daniel Leifeld told a July 23 COSTRA webinar that Colorado ski-resort STRs closed 2025 at 25% paid occupancy and are pacing at 18% for 2026 versus 19% a year ago, with the widest gaps in late summer and fall, though ski markets still command nearly double the average daily rate.
→ Source: Colorado Primary Upsets Could Reshape Short-Term Rental Oversight
