Amid housing crises vacation towns limit short-term rentals

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The Colorado ski resort Steamboat Springs has passed regulations for short-term rentals, such as those booked on Airbnb, amid a severe housing crisis.

The ordinances prohibit new short-term rentals in most of the city and require landlords to obtain a license to operate. Renting short-term, defined as fewer than 30 days, has become increasingly popular for second homeowners and investors who can charge hundreds of dollars a night.

Vacation towns facing low housing supply, from Lincoln County on Oregon’s coast to Ketchum in Idaho’s Smoky Mountains, are grappling with how to regulate the industry, and Steamboat Springs’ new rules could prove a model for others.

PHOTO INFO: Houses dot a hillside in Steamboat Springs, Colo., Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022, in Steamboat Springs. The city council passed a rule in June that could prove to be a model for other vacation towns: A ban on new short-term rentals in most of the city and a ballot measure to tax bookings at 9% to fund affordable housing. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)

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