Executive Summary
Corpus Christi, Texas wants to keep short-term rentals at least 200 feet apart and cut its block cap from 15% to 12%, with council votes set for November 10 and 17. Southold, New York is weighing a 1% cap that would shrink its 640 active STRs to about 120 permits, handed out by lottery. Patton Township, Pennsylvania now limits STRs where the owner doesn't live on-site to commercial areas, though current licenses last until the home is sold. Van Buren, Arkansas now requires a license, a fire marshal inspection and a $100 yearly fee for every STR. Ireland plans to open a national STR register on December 1, and Malta will charge short-let guests €10 a night starting in January. Hawaii County is split on a bill that would let hosted rentals run in residential zones without a use permit.
New Regulations
Van Buren, Arkansas
Licensing · Published October 29, 2026
Van Buren's City Council voted unanimously on October 26 to require a license for every short-term rental in the city, with owners submitting contact information, passing a fire marshal inspection and paying a $100 annual fee. Someone must be available 24/7 to respond within one hour to complaints, and the city may revoke a license after three violations, with 30 days to appeal to the council.
→ Source: Van Buren City Council approves new ordinance requiring short-term rental license
Patton Township, Pennsylvania
Zoning / Licensing · Published October 31, 2026
Patton Township's Board of Supervisors approved rules on October 28 that limit non-owner-occupied short-term rentals to commercial and transitional districts, the Toftrees and Oakwood planned communities, and part of the airport district, while owner-occupied rentals stay allowed in residential zones if the owner lives there at least six months. Existing licensed non-owner-occupied rentals outside those areas can keep operating until the property is sold or the license lapses, permit fees double from $75 to $150 in January, and 10 violation points bring a one-year revocation.
→ Source: Patton Township Adopts New Short-Term Rental Regulations
Galveston, Texas
Enforcement · Published November 2, 2026
Galveston moved its 24-hour short-term rental complaint hotline in-house to 409-797-3990, with staff contacting the rental's local representative first and sending unresolved complaints to the City Marshal's Office. Since the city took over STR oversight in October 2025, Municipal Court has recorded 264 violations and $25,384 in fines and court costs, and a three-strike rule lets the city revoke a license after three documented violations in 12 months.
→ Source: Galveston takes over short-term rental hotline as violation fines reach $25,384
Developing Regulations
Ireland
Registration / Planning · Published October 27, 2026
Ireland's Short-Term Letting and Tourism Bill 2026 would require anyone letting a property for up to 21 consecutive nights to join a national register run by Fáilte Ireland from December 1, show planning compliance to register, and display a registration number on every listing, with platforms facing fines of up to 2% of worldwide turnover. Planning permission for short-term lets would be restricted in 25 areas with more than 20,000 people, including Dublin, Cork and Limerick, and the government has proposed taking the bill's remaining Dáil stages on November 11.
→ Source: Proposed short-term let regulations 'weakest in Europe'
Corpus Christi, Texas
Zoning / Permitting · Published October 30, 2026
Corpus Christi's draft short-term rental ordinance would bar STRs within 200 feet of each other, cut the density cap from 15% to 12% of a block face, require property inspections and operator-paid noise monitoring, and limit occupancy to 15 people with one parking space per bedroom. Four documented code violations in 12 months would mean full permit revocation, and the City Council is set to take first reading November 10 and second reading November 17, with the city aiming to have the rules in place before permits renew in 2027.
Southold, New York
Caps / Permitting · Published October 26, 2026
Southold's Code Committee backed capping short-term rental permits at 1% of single-family homes in each hamlet, about 120 permits townwide compared with the 640 active STRs the town attorney reported, with one permit per owner and two-year permits awarded by lottery. Applications would open in July 2027 for a January 2028 launch, operators would need $1 million in liability insurance and a 60-minute response time, and the Town Board is expected to schedule public hearings later this year.
→ Source: Southold plans 80% cut in Airbnb-style rentals, permit lottery amid housing crisis
New Orleans, Louisiana
Zoning · Published October 27, 2026
The New Orleans City Planning Commission overwhelmingly approved new short-term rental zoning rules on October 27, including a limit of one STR per block and letting commercial STRs operate without an owner-manager present. Commissioners removed a proposal that would have opened four French Quarter blocks on Decatur and North Peters streets to STRs, and the recommendations now go to the City Council.
→ Source: Planning commission approves new short-term rental rules, rejects expansion in French Quarter
Hawaii County, Hawaii
Zoning / Definitions · Published November 2, 2026
Hawaii County's Bill 147 passed first reading 7-0 on October 21 and would redefine short-term rentals as stays under 180 days instead of under 30, let hosted rentals operate in residential zones and on pre-1976 agricultural lots without a use permit, and require a warning before fines. Several members who voted yes are unsure about the final reading expected next month, after four new council members are seated, and enforcement in residential zones may be delayed to December 31, 2026.
→ Source: A 6-Month Vacation? Hawaiʻi Council Deadlocked On Short-Term Rental Bill
Malta
Tax · Published October 27, 2026
Malta's Budget 2027 raises the tourist eco-contribution to €10 per night for guests at short-let apartments, capped at €80 per person, while hotels go to €8 per person per night, capped at €64. The new rates start January 1, 2027, and the government expects about €182 million a year.
→ Source: Malta Budget 2027: €1,000 bonus as foreign workers and tourists taxes rise
West Hartford, Connecticut
Licensing · Published October 30, 2026
West Hartford's proposed ordinance would create a temporary $250 license only for short-term rentals already operating before it takes effect, with applications due February 1, 2027, a guest registry, no street parking for guests, and a $250-a-day penalty for operating unlicensed. Town counsel says it legalizes no rentals and grants no grandfathered rights while two lawsuits over the town's ban on stays under 30 days in single-family zones play out, and the full Town Council takes it up November 10.
→ Source: West Hartford proposed Airbnb ordinance to go before town council
Pensacola Beach, Florida
Registration · Published October 30, 2026
The Santa Rosa Island Authority could vote November 4 on a policy requiring Pensacola Beach vacation rentals to register annually, showing a state vacation rental license, a county business tax receipt and tourist development tax registration, and to name a responsible party who can respond in person within an hour, 24/7. Three verified violations in a rolling 12 months would trigger a mandatory meeting with SRIA staff that could lead to a corrective action plan or lease-default proceedings, and existing owners would get at least 60 days to register once fees are set.
→ Source: Pensacola Beach short-term rental regulations up for discussion and possible vote Nov. 4
Northport, Alabama
Licensing / Events · Published October 31, 2026
Northport's City Council took up a short-term rental ordinance on first reading November 2 that would require a city business license before advertising, the license number on every listing, and safety equipment such as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers. Weddings, concerts and similar events would be banned, violations would be misdemeanors with each day a separate offense, and a second reading and possible adoption are set for November 16.
→ Source: Northport considers tougher rules for Airbnb-style rentals, including safety requirements
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tax / Ballot Measure · Published October 27, 2026
Tulsa voters decide November 3 whether to raise the hotel guest tax from 5% to 9.9%, which would bring in about $20.6 million a year for tourism marketing and take effect January 1, 2027. The city council says the tax applies to short-term rentals such as Airbnb and Vrbo, but only to properties with five or more rooms.
→ Source: Tulsa leaders urge voters to support hotel guest tax proposal
Eureka, California
Tax / Ballot Measure · Published November 2, 2026
Eureka voters decide November 3 on Measure I, which would raise the transient occupancy tax from 10% to 12% on stays of 30 days or less, including short-term vacation rentals. If a simple majority approves it, the higher rate takes effect January 1, 2027 and is expected to raise about $700,000 a year for the general fund.
→ Source: Eureka voters to decide Tuesday on Measure I hotel tax increase to 12%
