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County officials continue to explore a short-term rental ordinance to put some regulations in place for rentals on sites like Airbnb or VRBO.
Early indications are that the regulations will be "not something that's very restrictive," according to Deputy Planner Michael Lyon.
The regulations are not in draft form but criteria are being developed that will underpin the ordinance.
"We're going to find a happy medium," he told the county planning commission this week, speculating that short-term rentals will likely be permitted in all zoning districts that permit housing.
A county short-term rental ordinance would only cover the municipalities under the county's zoning ordinance – that excludes municipalities that are unzoned as well as the City of Warren and Youngsville that handle zoning on their own.
Lyon said that they may hold a public meeting on this issue, given the variety of perspectives. He said the process is "probably going to be something very similar" to the backyard chicken ordinance, where there is an application process.
He added that the City of Warren is also looking at an ordinance in this space but is waiting for the county to go first.
It's also likely that any existing short-term rentals would be grandfathered in and not subject to any procedure the ordinance may implement.
Commission member Jeff Zariczny asked if the applications as part of this procedure would be forwarded to building code officials in the county because "all require a change of occupancy. Every one of those are change of use. No one has built new, transient housing."
"The building code aspect is a whole other discussion," Lyon said.
The challenge there is that short-term rentals could be commercial properties under the building code. That would result in many disappearing because the building code requires commercial structures to have sprinklers.
Lyon said the regulations in this space are being addressed across the state and nation "in so many different ways."
"We recognize the value that they serve,"Lyon said.