By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff
Though Sandpoint’s short-term rental regulation ordinance was on the agenda for the Feb. 4 meeting of the City Council, the Reader was unable to report on it before press time. However, also on Feb. 4, a bill was introduced at the Idaho Legislature that would strip counties and cities of nearly all their powers to establish rules regulating STRs in any ways other than they would for traditional single-family dwellings.
Introduced by House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star; Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d’Alene; and Sens. Kelly Anthon, R-Rupert, and Todd Lakey, R-Nampa, House Bill 583 dramatically alters the current state statute related to STRs. The bill, which has been referred to the Business Committee, states in part:
“A county or city may enact or enforce such reasonable regulations as are necessary to safeguard the public health and safety as long as the reasonable regulations do not impose different different restrictions or obligations on short-term rentals than are imposed on single-family dwellings or similar structures not used as short-term rentals, or unless the regulations are permitted by this section.”
For instance, municipalities could not separately regulate STRs based on owner occupancy, requiring professional property management, requiring additional insurance, reporting of use or other statistics, additional fire protection, additional or improved means of access, additional parking, structural modifications or inspections.
In addition, the bill would prohibit requiring STRs to have any internal or external signage, notices or diagrams; impose a limit on the number of days the property can be rented; requiring notification to neighboring properties; requiring increased sewer or other utility capacity, or a conditional use permit in a residential zone.
H.B. 583 would also bar municipalities from limiting proximity to other STRs, restricting the number of STRs in a county or city, or requiring the property be improved to meet current building codes unless those same improvements would be required regardless of STR use.
Finally, among other stipulations, H.B. 583 prohibits municipalities from requiring STRs to obtain a license, permit or certification, or pay a fee or register in order to operate.
Based on the current language of the bill, virtually every aspect of the amended STR ordinance recommended for approval by the Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commission and considered by the City Council on Feb. 4 would be removed.
“Basically it supersedes cities’ ability to regulate STRs at all,” Sandpoint Planning and Community Development Director Jason Welker said at the top of the Feb. 4 City Council meeting.
H.B. 583 only allows municipalities to require that all STR sleeping areas be equipped with smoke alarms; properties have a functioning fire extinguisher and a carbon monoxide detector on each floor; include removable escape ladders for rooms above the ground floor; abide by occupancy limits as outlined in the International Building Code; and make available a handout to tenants describing the locations of exits, fire extinguishers and first aid kits, as well as provide a phone number to be used to contact an owner or manager in case of emergency.
Welker said Feb. 4 that H.B. 583 could go before the Business Committee as early as Tuesday, Feb. 10. Track committee agendas at legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/agenda.
Sagle Republican Rep. Cornel Rasor now serves on the Business Committee. He can be contacted at [email protected], 208-290-7403 or 208-332-1185.
Feb. 7, 2026: This story has been corrected to identify House Bill 583 with its accurate bill number.
