VRMA Administrator
The City Council of Chattanooga, Tennessee, is mulling restrictions on short-term vacation rentals as a moratorium on applications for non-owner-occupied properties is due to expire in January. The council will discuss the issue this week, followed by another committee meeting Nov. 1. Presently, Chattanooga limits rentals to zones in an overlay, which includes downtown and southwestern areas. Applications for non-owner-occupied rentals already undergo extra scrutiny during the approval process, and the submission of four or more objections from nearby neighbors prompts a public hearing by the City Council to consider the request. Last week, staff members suggested the city consider regulating rentals by zoning district rather than via an overlay. Councilman Chip Henderson opposes this, and expects officials could eventually opt for density-based regulation. City staff members calculate that there are 450 nonpermitted rentals in Chattanooga, while AirDNA shows 1,195 active units in the city, charging an average nightly rate of $169. Property owner Donna Morgan feels the city should concentrate its regulatory efforts on nonpermitted rentals.
Chattanooga Times Free Press (10/16/22) David Floyd
