Executive Summary
West Columbia, South Carolina passed some of the week's toughest rules, setting a two-night minimum stay, a 21-and-older renter requirement, a cap of two guests per bedroom, and a 45-minute response window for owners. Hillsborough County, Florida unanimously approved a registry for more than 3,000 vacation rentals with a $200 annual fee per unit and an on-call representative for each one, after complaints about party houses. Gilbert, Arizona voted 5-0 to raise licensing fees and penalties and expand enforcement, and Montgomery, Alabama passed an 8-0 ordinance that set licensing and safety rules but dropped its earlier cap on rentals per block. On the developing side, Adams, Massachusetts is drafting a bylaw that would cap non-primary rentals at 180 days and let the town capture lodging-tax revenue, and Manatee County, Florida told staff to draft rules within 30 to 45 days. In South Carolina, Folly Beach operators filed a class action seeking refunds of the 1.75% permit fee a court struck down as an illegal tax, while the Los Angeles City Attorney sued operators of at least 30 illegal rentals over expired permits and post-wildfire price gouging.
New Regulations
West Columbia, South Carolina
Occupancy / Licensing · Published September 2, 2026
West Columbia passed new short-term rental rules that set a two-night minimum stay, require renters to be at least 21, and cap overnight occupancy at two people per bedroom, with children under five excluded. Operators must provide at least one off-street parking space per bedroom, keep an owner or agent reachable within 45 minutes of a city request, and are largely steered toward commercial and mixed-use districts.
→ Source: West Columbia Passes New Regulations on Short-Term Rentals
Hillsborough County, Florida
Registration / Fees · Published September 2, 2026
Hillsborough County commissioners unanimously approved an annual registry for an estimated 3,000-plus vacation rentals in unincorporated areas, charging owners a $200 fee per unit and requiring a designated representative on call for noise, parking, and other neighbor complaints, alongside inspections. Commissioner Harry Cohen led the effort after repeated party-house complaints, and one Bay Crest Park resident said rentals in her neighborhood jumped from about 20 to over 120.
→ Source: Hillsborough Creates Registry for 3,000-Plus Vacation Rentals After Party-House Complaints
Gilbert, Arizona
Fees / Enforcement · Published September 6, 2026
Gilbert's Town Council voted 5-0 on September 1 to approve three ordinances that raise annual STR licensing fees, increase penalties for unlicensed properties, and expand the town's enforcement authority against non-compliant hosts. The measures passed as combined public-hearing items without council discussion, adding compliance cost and regulatory risk for operators in the Phoenix metro's East Valley.
→ Source: East Valley town raises short-term rental fees, penalties, strengthens enforcement
Montgomery, Alabama
Licensing / Registration · Published September 3, 2026
After nearly a year of debate, the Montgomery City Council voted 8-0 to approve a substantially revised short-term rental ordinance that sets licensing, registration, safety, and operational requirements. The earlier proposal to limit how many rentals could operate on a block was dropped, and the required owner-or-agent response time was relaxed from 15 minutes to one hour.
→ Source: Council Approves Significantly Modified Version of Short-Term Rental Ordinance
Developing Regulations
Adams, Massachusetts
General / Tax · Published September 2, 2026
Adams officials are drafting a short-term rental bylaw that would cap non-primary rentals at 180 days a year, require annual registration, safety inspections, proof of state registration, and one off-street parking space per sleeping room, with daily fines rising from $100 to $300 for noncompliant units. A central issue at a recent hearing was lodging-tax revenue: the town now collects it only from hotels and bed-and-breakfasts, and state guidance suggests adopting a local STR bylaw could let Adams capture a share of the taxes Airbnb and Vrbo guests already pay.
→ Source: Adams Weighs New Rules for Short-Term Rentals
Manatee County, Florida
Enforcement / Formation · Published September 2, 2026
Manatee County commissioners directed staff to draft a short-term rental ordinance and bring it back in 30 to 45 days, after months of resident complaints about noise, parking, trash, and large groups in single-family neighborhoods. In the meantime five code-enforcement positions remain frozen, and a county estimate warned a dedicated STR program could need 11 positions costing roughly $1.5 million in the first year.
→ Source: Manatee County Vacation Rentals: Commissioners Order Draft Rules
Folly Beach, South Carolina
Legal / Fees · Published September 4, 2026
Folly Beach short-term rental operators filed a proposed class action seeking refunds of registration permit fees collected since 2022, after an August 14 ruling struck down the city's STR cap and the fee as an unauthorized tax. The complaint says the city charged $17.50 per $1,000 of rental income, or 1.75%, on top of the regular business license tax; the city is appealing, and the class is not yet certified.
→ Source: Folly Beach Short-Term Rental Owners File Proposed Class-Action Over Permit Fees
Los Angeles, California
Enforcement / Legal · Published September 2, 2026
Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto filed suit against operators of illegal short-term rentals advertised on Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com, targeting at least 30 properties. The complaint alleges unpermitted rentals of rent-stabilized units, expired or invalid registration numbers, false claims that properties sat outside city limits, and price gouging after the January 2025 wildfires, and it seeks an injunction, restitution for tenants, and civil penalties.
→ Source: L.A. city attorney targets illegal short-term rentals
