Coppell City Council approved new provisions to the existing short-term rental ordinance Dec. 13. The change was prompted by a recent court ruling in another Texas municipality, according to the agenda item.
Homeowners intending to use their homes as short-term rental properties must now provide city staff with verification that the short-term rental property is their primary residence or hire an on-site property manager who must be at the property at the time of the rental.
The ordinance change also includes a new definition for short-term rentals to include gardens, pools, garages and outdoor accessory structures, according to the agenda item.
The council passed the first short-term rental ordinance in 2018. The following year, the council approved an extension of the ordinance and kept a sunset review set for January 2021 to allow for continuous review and improvements to the ordinance.
Minor modifications and deadline extensions were approved so city staff could have more time to review best practices and prepare a draft ordinance with proposed changes for the council to review.
The most recent ordinance was approved by the council in April, and the sunset date was removed. Since the approval, a key piece of Coppell’s existing regulations were challenged in a different municipality, which required the city to update its short-term rental ordinance.
Properties must meet the requirements outlined in the city’s ordinance to receive a permit. The changes will not have an immediate impact on existing registered short-term rentals; however, the changes will take effect for existing short-term rentals at the time of their permit renewal. The changes will be effective immediately for new permit applications.
