Short-Term Rental Ordinance

1. Ordinance to Regulate
Short-Term Rental Units in
College Station
May 28, 2020

2. Background
• Municipal regulation of short-term rentals
o Establishes a process of permitting and enforcing STRs
o Requires collection and remittance of Hotel Occupancy Tax
• Presentation of draft ordinance April 23, 2020
o STR permitting process, including life safety inspection
o Other elements: informational brochure, guest conduct
o Council direction to move forward with proposed ordinance:
 Additional examination of owner-occupancy
 Impact on existing Bed and Breakfast facilities
 More regular STR inspections

3. Short-Term Rental Permit
• STR hosts must apply for and be issued an STR permit
o Unique permit number for each unit
o Must be included in all advertisements (including internet booking
sites)
• Permits may not be transferred and do not convey with sale
of property
• Valid for 1 year from date of issuance
o May be renewed for successive years

4. STR Permit Application
• Required information:
o Name, address, email address, telephone number of property
owner/operator
o Name, address, email, 24-hour telephone number of local contact
o Physical address of STR
o Statement that owner will comply with requirements of STR
ordinance
o Verification applicant has no delinquent HOT

5. STR Permit Requirements
• Life Safety inspection
o Working smoke detectors
o At least one working carbon monoxide detector (if using
gas/propane)
o At least one working fire extinguisher per floor of dwelling
• Informational brochure
o Operator’s 24-hour contact information
o Pertinent neighborhood information
o Information to assist guests in case of emergency
• HOT collection and remittance

6. STR Permit Requirements
• Violations/penalties
o Unlawful to operate STR without securing a permit
o Noncompliance with any provision of STR ordinance or other laws
o Failure to timely pay HOT
o Violations of any provision result in action provided in Section 1-7 of
Code of Ordinances
• Denial of permit
• Revocation of permit

7. Proposed Changes - Definitions
• Add definition of “Bed & Breakfast Facility”
o Bed and breakfast facility means an accessory to a single-family
dwelling in which no more than four (4) unrelated individuals
occupy the property overnight, maintain a residential appearance
and be the permanent residence of the proprietor, no more than four
(4) rooms where shared/common bathrooms are provided, and no
cooking facilities permitted in individual rooms.
• Add definition of “owner-occupied”
o Owner-occupied means the property’s owner of record that utilizes
the dwelling as the owner’s primary residence.

8. Proposed Changes –
STR Categories
• Short Term Rental I
o Bed and Breakfast Facility located in a residential zoning district
o Single-family dwelling; permanent residence of the proprietor
o No more than four (4) unrelated individuals occupy the property
overnight
o No more than four (4) rooms where shared/common bathrooms are
provided and permitted
o No more than one (1) meal is served daily

9. Proposed Changes –
STR Categories
• Short Term Rental II
o Owner-occupied within General Suburban (GS), Restricted
Suburban (RS), or Wellborn Restricted Suburban (WRS)
o May include an accessory dwelling located on the property
 If so, owner/local contact is required to be on the premises during the rental
• Short Term Rental III
o Either owner-occupied or non-owner-occupied within a residential
zoning district other than GS, RS, or WRS
o Owner/local contact not required to be on-site

10. Proposed Changes –
Permit Application
• For STR I and II, proof that the premises is the primary
residence of the applicant – must provide 2 of the following:
o Motor vehicle registration
o Driver’s license
o Texas State Identification card
o Voter registration
o Tax documents
o Utility bill
• Owner may be listed as the local contact

11. Proposed Changes –
Permit Requirements
• Life safety inspection may be waived when renewing a
permit if the following apply:
o Unit is classified as STR I;
o Operator self-certifies compliance with life safety standards; and
o Operator has not been found in violation of STR ordinance
• Benefits to Bed and Breakfast facilities:
o No on-site inspection at renewal
o Reduced renewal fee

12. Additional Considerations
• Initial draft – updated with Bed and Breakfast inclusion &
clarification of HOT collection and remittance
• Implementation timeline
• Permit fee structure
• Program administration: permitting, inspections, compliance

13. Staff Recommendation
• Recommend approval of the STR ordinance with an effective
date of 9/1/2020
• Return with an updated fee ordinance
• Utilize external partner for program administration (STR
permitting, Hotel Occupancy Tax collection)
• STR inspections to be completed by City staff