West Windsor moves to regulate short-term rentals

West Windsor is the latest town to adopt an ordinance regulating short-term rentals, such as Airbnbs or VRBOs.

The select board last month approved the new zoning regulation that requires property owners to register with the town every year.

Select Board Chairman Mark Higgins says the town has seen a big increase in short-term rentals since a local mountain bike and trails system opened nearby, and the board adopted the ordinance to address a housing shortage.

“We’ve got a housing issue,” Higgins said. “So we’re trying to figure out how a mountain, a hotel, a general store and STRs all work together to make sure this place stays vibrant.”

The number of short-term rentals across the state increased by more than 30% in just the last year, according to the most recent data — and since the pandemic, it’s more than doubled.

West Windsor is near the Mount Ascutney trail system, as well as the tourist town of Woodstock.

“We have a lot of people who love to come here,” said Higgins. “This is a land of second homes, but there’s a difference between enjoying it and monetizing it, so we’re trying to find the line between those two things.”

Under the new ordinance, which will start in May 2025, local operators would pay an annual fee of $150 per bedroom, while operators who do not live nearby would pay $300 per bedroom.

“I’m not really a fan of charging more based on residential status,” said Julie Marks, the Vermont Short Term Rental Alliance executive director. “However, that price point, I think, is absolutely reasonable.”

Marks says her group does not oppose local ordinances, but says they try to get members to engage with local select boards while the ordinance is under discussion to support what she calls “reasonable” regulations.

“It’s a very nuanced industry, and new to a lot of these markets,” Marks said. “There a lot of folks who are unfamiliar with how it works, so we’re very supportive of short-term rental operators to get involved with the conversation as early on as possible.”

The state enacted a 3% tax on short-term rentals in August, largely to address the education tax increase property owners saw this year.

Marks says more than 20 towns in Vermont have adopted local short-term rental ordinances.

Corey Dockser contributed the data visualization to this story.

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