Executive Summary
A federal appeals court handed New Orleans a win on August 5, with the Fifth Circuit upholding the city's short-term rental rules and its roughly one-license-per-block density cap and rejecting an 11-count challenge from Airbnb and five other plaintiffs. Clark County, Nevada is opening a new front against its 16,000-plus listings, hearing an ordinance August 18 that would fine Airbnb and Vrbo $500 for a first unlicensed listing and $1,000 for each one after, after a December federal moratorium blocked the county from fining owners directly. Carson City, Nevada passed a first reading of its own rules, which would charge a $500 business license, cap owners at one rental per property, and take effect November 1. Cambridge, Massachusetts advanced a zoning petition limiting hosting to owner-occupied or owner-adjacent units and floated a 90-day annual cap that officials called a placeholder and hosts fought hard. Duluth, Minnesota is considering a ban on turning single-family homes into vacation rentals, and South Bend, Indiana is taking comment on a new annual permitting system. Jefferson County, New York went after collection instead, asking the state attorney general to force Airbnb, Vrbo, and Expedia to remit its 3% bed tax rather than leaving about 800 local hosts to file it themselves.
New Regulations
New Orleans, Louisiana
Legal / Court Ruling · Published August 6, 2026
The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld New Orleans' short-term rental rules on August 5, affirming the dismissal of nearly all counts in an 11-count suit brought by Airbnb and five other plaintiffs and rejecting their takings, due process, First Amendment, and Section 230 claims. The ruling keeps the city's roughly one-license-per-block density cap, its operator-presence requirement, and its mandate that platforms verify each listing is legally permitted before booking, and Airbnb has signaled it may appeal.
→ Source: Federal appeals court upholds New Orleans short-term rental rules
Jefferson County, New York
Tax / Enforcement · Published August 6, 2026
Jefferson County is asking the New York attorney general to investigate Airbnb, Vrbo, and Expedia for pushing collection of the state's 3% short-term rental bed tax onto individual hosts instead of remitting it at the platform level, which the county says violates the 2025 law that created the tax. The county has about 800 short-term rentals, and County Administrator Ryan Piche wants the state to compel platform-level collection so hosts are not left filing the tax themselves.
→ Source: County Calls on AG to Make Airbnb, VRBO Follow Bed Tax Law
Developing Regulations
Clark County, Nevada
Licensing / Platform Enforcement · Published August 5, 2026
Clark County commissioners will hear an ordinance on August 18 that would fine Airbnb and Vrbo $500 for a first violation and $1,000 for each additional unlicensed listing they facilitate, shifting liability onto the platforms after a December federal moratorium blocked the county from imposing STR fines and liens. The Las Vegas area has more than 16,000 Airbnb listings against only 228 county licenses, and the rules trace back to 2021's SB363, which set 2,500-foot resort buffers, 1,000-foot spacing between rentals, and a 3,000-license cap.
→ Source: A court pushed back against Clark County Airbnb limits. County might have a new way to crack down
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Zoning / Registration · Published August 5, 2026
Cambridge's Planning Board voted unanimously to recommend a City Council zoning petition that would revise registration rules, add an autonomous-unit category, and limit hosting to owner-occupied or owner-adjacent units, though the board flagged a proposed 90-day annual cap that officials called a placeholder. The city estimates 716 short-term rentals with roughly 500 unregistered, and hosts warned the cap would effectively end owner-adjacent rentals and urged the city to target absentee, unregistered operators through enforcement instead.
→ Source: Planning Board supports short-term rental regulation, with an asterisk
Carson City, Nevada
Licensing / Business License · Published August 6, 2026
Carson City supervisors approved the first reading of a short-term rental ordinance that would require operators renting for 28 days or less to hold a $500 annual business license plus a $25 application fee starting November 1, limit owners to one rental per property, and cap sleeping occupancy at two guests per bedroom. Rooms rented inside an occupied residence are exempt, operators must keep a maintenance log and provide bear-proof trash containers, and a required second reading is expected later this month.
→ Source: Short-term rental ordinance gains initial approval from Carson City supervisors
Duluth, Minnesota
Zoning / Use Restriction · Published August 7, 2026
Duluth is weighing an ordinance that would bar single-family homes from being converted into short-term vacation rentals, which officials say protects housing stock and addresses fire-safety risks in older homes, following a one-year moratorium on new STR licenses imposed last November. Existing permitted rentals could keep operating until sold or changed in use, while accessory dwelling units under 800 square feet and owner-occupied single-room home-shares would stay eligible, and the planning director expects to bring an ordinance to the council soon.
→ Source: Duluth Considers Barring Single-Family Homes From Becoming Vacation Rentals
South Bend, Indiana
Licensing / Permitting · Published August 8, 2026
South Bend is taking public comment on proposed short-term rental ordinances that would create a formal annual permitting process and put owner contact information on file with the city, a follow-up to committee bills first heard in July over the city's 1,300-plus active rentals. Indiana's state preemption law limits how far the city can restrict rentals, so the framework centers on registration and accountability, and the Common Council is gathering input before finalizing the rules.
→ Source: City Hosting Public Hearing for Proposed Short-Term Rental Ordinances
Buena Vista, Colorado
General / Policy Review · Published August 10, 2026
Buena Vista's Board of Trustees will continue discussing updates to the town's short-term rental policy, a continuation of an ongoing review that follows an earlier license moratorium and short-term rental committee recommendations. The same agenda includes the resignation of Trustee Huyck, and any policy changes could affect licensing, permitting, caps, or operating requirements for vacation-rental operators in the Arkansas Valley.
→ Source: BV Trustees to Consider Trustee Huyck Resignation, Discuss Short-Term Rental Policy Updates
