West Windsor approves short-term rental ordinance
Published: 10-13-2024 4:00 PM |
WEST WINDSOR — West Windsor has become the latest Upper Valley town to approve a short-term rental ordinance.
The ordinance requires short-term rental operators to apply for licenses through the town and pay yearly fees; it does not place a cap on the number allowed to operate in town.
The town’s three-person Selectboard unanimously supported the ordinance on Sept. 23 and it will go into effect May 5, pending any challenges. Residents have until Nov. 6 to submit a petition signed by 5% of voters for a Special Town Meeting on the topic.
The town has not yet received any challenges, Selectboard Chairman Mark Higgins said in a phone interview last week.
Short-term rentals have existed in West Windsor — a town with about 1,344 residents — for decades, primarily because of Mount Ascutney and its outdoor recreational opportunities, especially skiing.
“Before the term ‘short-term rental’ was used (there) were short-term rentals,” Higgins said.
Town officials, however, have limited knowledge about short-term rental operations and view the ordinance as a way to gather information. There are an estimated 30 to 45 short-term rentals in West Windsor, based on a survey of short-term rental websites taken about nine months ago, Higgins said.
“It's probably not in the best interest of this town to leave this issue unregulated,” he said.
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West Windsor joins Fairlee and Woodstock Village in approving short-term rental ordinances in the past year. Woodstock Town, however rejected the ordinance. On the New Hampshire side of the Upper Valley, Sunapee and Springfield, N.H., also have short-term rental ordinances in place.
The Vermont Short Term Rental Alliance, which advocates for short-term rental operators throughout the state, approves of West Windsor’s ordinance.
“We have consistently supported short-term rental registries — such as the one adopted by West Windsor — when they do not, in any way, inhibit a property owner's ability to rent their vacation home freely,” Julie Marks, the nonprofit’s founder and executive director, wrote in an email. “The West Windsor STR ordinance may be a good model for other towns looking to track and monitor short-term rental activity in their community.”
West Windsor’s ordinance defines a short-term rental as a unit that is rented out “for a period of fewer than 30 consecutive days and for more than 14 days per calendar year.” It applies both to dwellings that are “hosted” — meaning owners who are onsite — and those that are “unhosted,” meaning owners are not present when guests are staying at their home.
Beginning May 1, short-term rental operators will have to apply for a license and pay $150 per year per bedroom advertised for hosted short-term rentals and $300 per year per bedroom advertised for unhosted short-term rentals.
The ordinance will be administered by a Selectboard-appointed short-term rental administrator, Higgins said. It will likely be held by the town’s zoning administrator.
There will be two major expenses: the time spent administering the process, which Higgins said should be offset by the revenue from licenses, and the cost of contracting with a third-party vendor to compile data about the number of short-term rental advertised in town compared to the number that have licenses for any discrepancies. Town officials are still seeking bids for short-term rental software and researching cost estimates.
Operators will also have to show “all necessary licensing and registrations” through the Vermont Departments of Health and the Division of Fire Safety, as well as proof that they are paying fees through the Department of Taxes.
They will also need to demonstrate that the property’s septic system or connection to the town sewer system can support the number of occupants at the short-term rental, either through a West Windsor allocation permit or a state wastewater and water supply permit.
Those who do not comply with the ordinance could face penalties ranging from $125 to $750 per day
“I haven't heard a whole lot of negative feedback yet,” Town Administrator Matt Frederick said in a phone interview last week.
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.