LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Metro Council will soon consider a permanent overhaul of the city's rules surrounding homes and apartments rented nightly on Airbnb, VRBO and other platforms.
The proposed changes, which passed the council's Planning & Zoning Committee on Tuesday, could be approved by the full council at its Sept. 14 meeting.
The ordinance is aimed at cracking down on homes operating permanently as short-term rentals in residentially zoned areas and strengthening an existing limit on the concentration of short-term rentals in those areas.
Ben Reno-Weber, a Democrat representing the Highlands-area District 8, said the new rules seek to allow owners to rent out their primary home by default, while rentals that are not owner-occupied would require either a permit or non-residential zoning.
"If you are the owner (of the home) and it's your primary residence, we do not in any way want to impede you from operating a short-term rental, consistent with the quiet enjoyment of your neighbors," said Reno-Weber, who presented the ordinance to council committee Tuesday.
The ordinance would also raise the annual registration fee for short-term rentals to $250, up from $100. A portion of the new revenue would go to third-party software that would help Metro government identify potential violators of the short-term rental rules, which code enforcement officials could then investigate to confirm, Joe Haberman, a Louisville Metro Planning & Design official, told the zoning committee on Tuesday.
One of the key proposed changes would be to eliminate the ability of someone to "host" a short-term rental — even if that person does not own the home or condo —  in a residentially zoned area without first obtaining a permit.
The new rules will close a loophole whereby a property owner can designate someone as a nominal "host" of the rental and avoid obtaining a permit, Reno-Weber said.
JeCorey Arthur, an independent council member who co-sponsored the ordinance, added that it would extend those permitting protections to neighborhoods that are zoned "office-residential," meaning residents in areas like Phoenix Hill will have an opportunity to object to non-occupied short-term rentals.
Some neighborhoods are being "overwhelmed" by single-family homes that are operated like hotels, Arthur said.
"It's really erasing the sense of community," he said.
Earlier this summer, the council proposed a moratorium on new short-term rental registrations while the permanent rules were under consideration.
