Fee and Cost-of-Operation Increases in Three States

8/4/2026

Panama City Beach, Florida, took Ordinance No. 1684 to second reading and public hearing, amending how the city assesses and collects its vacation rental certificate fee (a second reading means it’s close to final). Arapahoe County, Colorado, adopted a resolution adding short-term rentals to its zoning fee schedule for the first time, creating a new cost line for operators there. And Georgetown, South Carolina, amended its Unified Development Ordinance to revise the defined term “Short-Term Vacation Rental”—stripping the word “vacation” for consistency across the code—a definitional change that quietly determines which properties fall inside the regulated category.

Why It Matters: Fee creep is the quiet margin-compression story that members feel immediately, without the visibility of a ban or cap fight. Panama City Beach is the one to flag given its market size and near-final status.