Bill 42-26 Targets Unlicensed Short-Term Rental Platforms

Councilmember Shebra Evans introduced Bill 42-26 on September 15, 2026, which would require short-term rental platforms to verify a valid county rental license before listing a property or processing payments, and penalize non-compliance. The legislation also mandates that the Department of Housing and Community Affairs create an electronic license verification system and that platforms submit annual occupancy reports. An OIG report cited this summer found over 85% of short-term rentals in the county were unlicensed, with estimated lost revenue approaching $1 million per year.