Richardson City Council approves 90-day prohibition on new short-term rentals

City attorney Joe Gorfida said at the April 20 council meeting that city staff plan to use new software to collect data on STRs in Richardson, including an inventory of all registered and unregistered properties as well as information on the locations and distance between STRs. According to city documents, the study aims to identify if clusters of STRs exist in certain neighborhoods and evaluate the impact of short-term rentals on the health, safety and welfare of residents.

The prohibition only applies to new registrations, so any short-term rentals that have registered with the city before May 27 will be able to continue operating as normal. There is a $500 fine for operating an STR without a registration permit in Richardson.

How we got here

Residents voiced concerns at a March council meeting about trash, parking, noise and safety issues caused by STRs in their neighborhoods, with several mentioning multiple STRs located near their homes.

Council approved amendments in March to improve the city’s enforcement of STR regulations, but city staff said further information from the study is needed to introduce additional regulations. The updates to the ordinance outlined offenses that city staff can enforce at STRs and expanded the grounds for the city to revoke registration permits.

What’s next

The prohibition on new STR registrations will last from May 27-Aug. 25, although Gorfida said the city could potentially extend the prohibition if further study is needed.

Data from the study is expected in September.