Town Of South Kingstown: Short-Term Residential Rental Policy Under Review

Press release from the Town of South Kingstown:

The Town Council will hold a Public Hearing on Monday, March 25, 2024 at 7:30 pm, continued from January 22, 2024, to consider adoption of a Short-Term Residential Rental registry:

Chapter 9 Licenses and Miscellaneous Business Regulations

ADD: Article IX. Short-Term Residential Rentals

Sec. 9-200. Applicability.

The provisions of this article shall apply to all short-term rentals within the town.

Sec. 9-201. Definitions.

The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

Record owner means the property owner of record, as identified by the town’s tax records.

Registrar means the zoning enforcement officer of the town.

Short-term rental means the use and enjoyment of a dwelling unit, or any portion thereof, by guests for a period of less than 30 consecutive days, in exchange for money, commodities, services, or other performances. Hotels, motels, tourist homes, and bed-and-breakfasts are not considered to be short-term rentals.

Sec. 9-202. Registration.

(a)  Required. No short-term rental shall be let, leased or otherwise permitted to be occupied, in whole or in part, by a tenant for residential and/or dwelling purposes unless and until the record owner has registered such short-term rental with the building official.

(b)  Form. The short-term rental registration form shall indicate the tax assessor's plat and lot number address of the short-term rental, the number of short-term rental dwelling units and bedrooms therein, the name and permanent mailing address of the record owner, and the maximum number of tenants at one time, and period of occupancy (summer, September to June, or other). All short-term rental registration applications shall be signed and properly notarized by the record owner.

(c)  Filing date; term. On or before December 31 of each year, the record owner of the short-term rental shall file the completed short-term rental registration form with the registrar, which registration shall be valid for a one-year period from January 1 to December 31 of the following year. If the property is registered during the calendar year, the registration shall be valid until December 31 of that same year.

Sec. 9-203. Posting of notice by owner.

The record owner shall post in plain view, in a conspicuous place within the short-term rental, a notice containing the ordinances of the town with regard to the dog leash law, trash disposal, parking restrictions, noise ordinance, dwelling occupancy limits, unruly gatherings, and any other pertinent ordinance or law which the council may deem appropriate from time to time. Such notices shall be available at the office of the registrar. The record owner or any person in control or possession of said short-term rental subject to the provisions of this article, shall cause a copy of the current lease and registration form required by this article to be posted or affixed to the inside of the primary access door to said short-term rental so as to allow the lease and registration form to be readily available for inspection by police, zoning, building, or minimum housing officials of the Town of South Kingstown.

Sec. 9-204. Penalty for violation of article.

Record owners who violate the provisions of this article shall be subject to a fine not exceeding $500.00.

Sec. 9-205. Fee.

To defray the cost of implementing and overseeing compliance with this article and to help defray the costs associated with the frequent use of town services, including, but not limited to public safety personnel, code compliance personnel and managerial personnel associated with the policing of short-term rental dwellings, there shall be a registration fee of $100.00 for each short-term rental covered under the provisions of this article. Any owner who is required to file the short-term rental registration form on or before December 31 of each year, and who does not file on time, shall, in addition to any other applicable penalties provided for herein, be required to pay a late fee of $300.00.

Secs. 9-206 – 9-210. Reserved.

This Ordinance shall take effect upon passage.

The Public Hearing will be held before the Town Council on Monday, March 25, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers at 180 High Street, Wakefield, RI at which time opportunity will be given to all persons interested to be heard upon the matter.

Individuals requesting American Sign Language interpreters or CART service must call the Town Clerk’s Office at 401-789-9331 seventy-two (72) hours in advance of the meeting date.

This press release was produced by the Town of South Kingstown. The views expressed here are the author’s own.