Sewickley considering regulating short-term rental properties, draft ordinance crafted

Sewickley officials are considering adopting regulations for short-term rentals in the borough.

Such rentals are defined as being less than 30 days.

Council voted Tuesday night to approve advertising an ordinance that would require a person operating such a property to have a permit and be subject to various stipulations.

The proposed ordinance requires short-term rental properties to be registered with the borough and undergo an inspection to make sure it complies with borough codes.

There would be a $100 application fee and a $100 inspection fee.

The application would be good for one year and the inspection for three years.

Applicants must be up to date with their property taxes and liability insurances.

The rental operator must be at least 21 years old, have not more than three short-term rental properties in the borough and not have had a permit or license to operate a short-term rental revoked within the past two years preceding the application date.

A local contact person would also have to be available at all times in case of emergencies.

Council President Cynthia Mullins said the proposed ordinance is something the borough has been working on for about three years.

“Interest in doing something about it kind of grew bases on feedback from citizens, and then the incident on the North Side speeded up that process,” Mullins said. “We need to know where (short-term rentals) are and who’s operating them. This is a way to keep tabs on this process and preserve the character of our neighborhoods.”

Several residents at previous meetings had pushed for council to come up with some rules and regulations for the rentals, citing the mass shooting on Pittsburgh’s North Side on April 17.

Two teenage boys were killed and eight other people were injured by gunfire in an early morning shooting at a party in an Airbnb rental on Suismon Street near Madison Avenue.

Legislation was introduced in Pittsburgh a few months ago regulating short-term rentals.

A woman who was shot during the incident recently filed a lawsuit against the company and owners of the property where the shooting happened.

Councilman Tom Rostek said he supports the rental ordinance.

“The (proposed) ordinance we have is a registration mechanism,” Rostek said. “It’s going to allow the town to understand where we have short-term rentals and who are the responsible parties for them for when things go wrong. It also involved an inspection so we can verify the property is appropriate for the use.

“My position is, in general, short-term rentals are not a residential use. They are more in lines of a hotel.

“When someone moves into a residential zone in Sewickley, they should have some assurance that the properties around the walls will be residential. That’s what we’re trying to accomplish. That’s where we’re getting complaints.”

Rostek said the planning commission is also looking into zoning ordinances to see where short-term rentals should be permitted. There are no current zoning restrictions on Airbnbs.

“They are popping up in all zones,” Rostek said.

The ordinance is expected to be advertised by Aug. 18 and available for inspection at the borough office thereafter.

It may be formally adopted at council’s Sept. 13 meeting.