By a vote of 52 to 38, the House of Delegates passed SB 544 (Bagby). The legislation prohibits a locality from adopting a local ordinance that requires a special exception, special use, or conditional use permit be obtained for the use of a residential dwelling as a short-term rental where the dwelling unit is also legally occupied by the property owner as his or her primary residence.
VACo Opposes SB 544, as it erodes the ability of local elected officials to address potential impacts from the operation of short-term rentals within their communities.
The legislation now heads to the Governor for consideration.
VACo Contact: Joe Lerch, AICP