VRMA Administrator
A state study commission held its first meeting on Sept. 20 to discuss potential further regulation of short-term rentals (STRs) in Rhode Island. State Rep. Lauren Carson (D-Newport), the commission's chair, said she wants the body to look at the restrictions and regulations that municipalities have passed so far and see if there are specific areas where the state could step in. STRs listed on online platforms have been explicitly legal since 2021, when the General Assembly passed a bill that Gov. Dan McKee vetoed and lawmakers overrode to require owners to register with the state and pay a yearly $50 registration fee. It also prohibited cities and towns from banning STRs as long as they are offered on a "hosting platform." Carson, who wrote the registry law, said an original provision, removed at the behest of the industry, was a prohibition on advertising online if a rental is not registered with the state, something she will reintroduce in the next legislative session.
Providence Journal (09/22/23) Wheeler Cowperthwaite
