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Short-term rental permits continue to occupy the agenda in the Town of Paradise Valley.
Paradise Valley Town Council met Nov. 10 with a presentation from Town Manager Jill Keimach about the town’s new ordinance and implementation.
Arizona Senate Bill 1168 became effective Sept. 24, and with it the ability for a city or town to issue, deny and suspend short-term rental permits and enforce its ordinances financial penalties. An address permit can be suspended up to one year for one to three verified violations.
According to the council presentation, Paradise Valley was the first municipality in Arizona to adopt an ordinance based on the new state law on Oct. 10. It went into effect Nov. 13.
While the town has sought to curb excessive uses of short-term rentals as party houses or event venues, there are sill things the ordinance cannot stop, according to the presentation. Among them, the ordinance won’t:
Stop the noise of kids playing, outdoor cell phone talking, yelling and music below noise standards. Noise must be fixed or stationary except after 10 p.m. when plainly audible.
Lots of vehicles parking on a public road. Parking on the street is legal.
Trash cans out for pickup which is legal the night before to end of collection day.
Special events in owner homes.
For implementation, the town hired Kristi Hillebert as code enforcement officer. The town has worked to educate and train short-term rental managers since March, with future Police Chief Freeman Carney meeting managers monthly.
This program has led to discussion and collaboration between managers to limit undesirable renters and proactively install noise meters and monitors, Keimach said.
In addition, the town is spreading information through a permanent QR code in the Town Manager’s Weekly Update, a Good Neighbor Brochure required at each short-term rental as well as working with the platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo.
The town’s website and residents portal have been updated with the process to apply for a short-term rental, which now requires more steps including a transaction privilege tax license, owner authorization, registration with the county, a permit application and signed affidavit.
An interactive map also will be available to the public with the address, property owner, contact information and landline phone number of the short-term rentals registered.
As code enforcement officer, Hillebert will verify and review applications, running sex offender background checks and approving a permit within seven business days.
Paradise Valley is incentivizing permit applications for the next 30 days by waiving the $250 fee as it expedites ordinance implementation prior to Super Bowl LVII in early February 2023.
Paradise Valley has been pushing for short-term rental laws and local control for at least two years, partnering with 33 Arizona mayors in 2020.
In January, the town adopted a limited ordinance regulating 61 items in health and safety and nonresidential uses. It was investigated by the attorney general upon the request of Airbnb whether the ordinance violated state law.
The town chose an investigation over rescinding the ordinance and 92% of its items were validated, making it a legally defensible model.
“We all knew this would get across the finish line thanks to our great team,” Mayor Jerry Bien-Willner said of the new ordinance.
MacKenzie Brower Lead News Reporter | Town of Paradise Valley @mbrowerjournombrower@iniusa.org
MacKenzie Brower has a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Northern Arizona University and specializes in visual storytelling. She was previously the director of photography and Editor-in-Chief of The Lumberjack at NAU, breaking news intern for The Arizona Republic and column writer for FlagLive!
MacKenzie studied abroad in Prague at the beginning of 2021, where she practiced landscape and portrait photography. She is passionate about protecting the world’s environment and human rights and hopes to inform social change through reporting. You can find her portfolio at mackenziebrower.photoshelter.com.
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