Plano short-term rental ban isn’t an isolated action. Here’s what other cities did

New short-term rentals in Plano can’t exist without consequence.

A temporary ban on new listings of the properties rented out for 30 days or less through platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo went into effect Monday and will last until May 15, 2024.

Amid the controversial topic, the Plano City Council passed the measure May 8, becoming one of several cities in Dallas-Fort Worth to crack down on short-term rentals. Plano hasn’t adopted permanent measures or a proposed registration ordinance, however.

Here’s how other municipalities in the area have handled the issue:

Arlington

Short-term rentals in Arlington are banned from most single-family residential neighborhoods, except for around the city’s entertainment district, after Arlington passed two ordinances regulating the properties in April 2019.

Arlington’s ordinances were challenged in court, but have effectively stood. The Arlington model has become a template for other cities across Texas hoping to regulate short-term rentals.

Bedford

Short-term rental owners in Bedford must register their properties with the city, according to the Bedford website. The city outlined in March a short-term rental program that includes requiring annual property inspection and ensuring operators are registered for hotel occupancy tax payments, among other terms.

Coppell

Registration is required for short-term rentals in Coppell and operators must have their homes inspected, according to the city’s website.

Dallas

In late April, four Dallas City Council members said they wanted to soon vote on proposed measures that would ban short-term rentals from almost all Dallas residential neighborhoods. The total number of short-term rental listings in Dallas could be up to 6,000, according to the city, but Dallas officials said they believe 95% of the 1,735 STR operators registered with the city would be banned under new regulations. City staff are working to address how to best regulate short-term rentals and are considering potential alternatives to the proposals as they analyze 911 calls and 311 calls connected to troublesome listings.

Assistant City Manager Carl Simpson told The Dallas Morning News in April that it could take until July for the staff to present its research to the City Council.

Denton

Denton requires short-term rental operators to register with the city and pay a hotel occupancy tax, but the Denton Record-Chronicle reported only eight were registered as of April 4.

Fort Worth

The Fort Worth City Council approved in February a registration ordinance for legal short-term rentals, according to the city website. Fort Worth defines short-term rentals as “residential dwelling units, apartments, condominiums or accessory dwellings available for rent for guest lodging for a period ranging from 1 to 29 days.”

The city currently permits short-term rentals in most form-based, commercial and industrial zoning districts, in addition to all mixed-use districts. Short-term rentals, the city says, are prohibited in residential districts. Legally operating STRs must register with Fort Worth and pay the hotel occupancy tax. Registration with the city must occur before the property is listed.

Grapevine

Grapevine city attorney Matthew Boyle told The News in March that Grapevine updated an active zoning ordinance in September 2018 to clear up the definition of an STR and assert that short-term rentals had never been allowed, according to a 1982 ordinance the city claimed didn’t explicitly permit the properties.

While Grapevine has been in the midst of ongoing litigation, as of March, the city has committed to enforcing the ordinance.

Southlake

Since 2018, short-term rentals have been prohibited in Southlake.