Owners of short-term rentals in Shawnee, including AirBnbs and VRBOS, would have to obtain a business license and comply with new restrictions in order to keep that license, according to a proposal that will be considered by the city council at its meeting Monday night. At 6 p.m. at Shawnee City Hall, the council will weigh a proposal that will amend the city’s municipal code regarding short-term rental properties, including new rules for licensing, as well as restrictions on the number of people in a short-term rental and parking. It comes after nearly a year of discussion about how the Johnson County suburb should best tackle short-term rentals, which are a small sliver of properties overall in the city but make up a disproportionate amount of noise and other safety complaints. The proposal would amend Shawnee Municipal Code Chapter 5 to regulate short-term rentals through the city’s business licensing department. (…) While short-term rental owners already face a minimum fine of $500 and/or jail time, depending on the violations, the proposal being considered tonight looks to crack down even further. The proposed ordinance changes would require short-term rental owners to abide by the Shawnee Code of Ordinances. (…) If short-term rental owners don’t abide by these rules, they could have their business license to operate a rental revoked. “We’d have to provide each short-term rental with a notice, and they would be able to come forward and talk about the alleged violations,” said Shawnee City Attorney Jenny Smith at a committee meeting in January, in an overview of the proposed changes. “This body would have the ultimate authority to decide whether or not the business license should continue or if it should be revoked,” she said at that time.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
