Short-term rentals now face new regulations in some parts of Minnehaha County
The Sioux Falls City Council and Minnehaha County Commission have approved new regulations for short-term rental properties on apps like Airbnb or Vrbo in some parts of the county.
A map of the joint jurisdictional area shared by Sioux Falls and Minnehaha County. Land within the blue polygon but outside the yellow polygon is part of the joint jurisdictional area.
The ordinance, which passed the commission 4-0 and the council 8-0 on Tuesday evening, would only apply to homes within the “joint jurisdictional area,” an area of county land around Sioux Falls city limits that is expected to one day be annexed into the city.
In expectation of that, many ordinances within the JJA are aimed at being closer to those of the city than the county.
The newly-passed rules require short-term rentals in the area to have an occupancy limit of three people per bedroom, and to have one parking space per bedroom. The home needs to be registered with the state, and the contact information for the owner must to be on file with the city’s Planning and Development Services Department.
The definition of a short-term rental was also updated to “A dwelling or portion thereof, or a mobile or manufactured home or portion thereof, that is rented, leased, or furnished to the public on a daily or weekly basis for more than fourteen (14) days in a calendar year and is not occupied by an owner or manager during the time of rental.”
As for getting properties in line with the new rules, it’s not likely to be a big lift. County officials have said there are only three properties in the area that currently meet those standards, which are registered as bed and breakfasts.
And it doesn’t change anything for short-term rental properties in Sioux Falls, though at a Tuesday informational meeting Councilor Rich Merkouris proposed some changes to the city’s rental ordinance that could affect them.
Should his updates be adopted by the council, such homes in city limits would now be referred to as “vacation home establishments,” and would be defined as “Any home, cabin or similar building that is rented, leased, or furnished in its entirety to the public on a daily or weekly basis for more than 14 days in a calendar year and is not occupied by an owner or manager during the time of rental. This term does not include a bed and breakfast establishment as defined in city ordinance § 160.005.”
Their permits could also be suspended if they had two health, nuisance or other violations that resulted in a citation or a fine within the prior year.
Vacation home establishments would be exempted from another update to the rental ordinance that was proposed by Merkouris, which would require a residential rental permit applicant to attend a minimum of two hours of landlord training, unless they are already licensed as a broker, broker associate, property manager or residential rental agent with the South Dakota Real Estate Commission.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Short-term rentals now face new regulations in some parts of Minnehaha County.
