County officials have drafted a proposed amendment to the zoning ordinance regarding short-term rentals like Airbnb and VRBO.

The county’s Planning Commission meets Tuesday and review of the draft ordinance is on its agenda.

“Internet-based, short-term rentals (STRs) have been a major issue for local governments for a few years,” the draft ordinance states.

“They’re more popular than ever and numerous cities, counties, and local municipalities have opted to create ordinances to address the concerns of adjacent property owners, public officials, and the interests of STR owners.”

The draft ordinance defines a short-term rental in this way — “An establishment in which the owner rents any area of the establishment to one, or more, individuals for compensation or fee, including offer or exchange in kind, of any type, whether or not involving overnight accommodations or separate sleeping quarters, for a period of time which is primarily less than thirty (30) consecutive days.”

The definition will not include bed and breakfasts, which are defined elsewhere in the ordinance, and “can be a stand-alone dwelling either as an entire house or a shared space.”

Short-term rentals are proposed to be “permitted in all zoning districts where a dwelling is an allowable use” as long as it complies with all building code, zoning — a permit is required, floodplain, stormwater, parking and sewer regulations.

Inside, the draft ordinance requires exit signage, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. It also prohibits the use as short-term rentals of RVs/campers as well as camps built under the camp affidavit rather than the building code.

There is also a requirement for “external signage visible from the road/street side of the STR identifying the property owner and a 24-hour local contact person”

The proposal before the Commission Tuesday would create a new section to the ordinance and is “intended to support the residential character of the neighborhoods they’re located in, and provide basic guidelines for contact information, and safety standards, by adding specific definitions, updated definitions, and basic regulations,” per the proposal.

Presenting such an ordinance to the Planning Commission is the first step in a process that ultimately requires approval from the county commissioners before regulations would go into effect.