WHITE LAKE, NY — The Town of Bethel has become the latest in Sullivan County to consider a local law regulating short term rentals (STRs). 

STRs—rooms or houses rented out on a temporary basis on sites like Vrbo or Airbnb—have increased in popularity in Sullivan County, particularly since the beginning of the pandemic. A slew of regulations has followed them as municipalities have sought to adapt to their growth, requiring fees and taxes from STR owners and regulating their impact on their neighbors. 

The Bethel Town Board introduced a draft local law regulating STRs at its March 8 meeting. 

The law as currently drafted requires a permit to operate a STR. The permit application requires information including a list of each property owner and manager associated with the property, together with their contact information; the contact information of a designated contact person, who can respond to and remedy any issue at the property within 24 hours of notice; and a floor plan detailing the building’s layout, required parking, house utilities, heating and cooling units, and exits. 

The property must comply with New York State building codes. Bethel’s law specifically requires safety measures, including smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, posted evacuation procedures, fire extinguishers and unobstructed doors. 

Occupancy for each STR is set by a few different factors. The maximum occupancy for an STR must not exceed two people per bedroom, plus two people per futon, hide-a-bed or the like, with total occupancy not to exceed 12 people. Additionally, a property must have one off-road parking space per bedroom, and if a property has a septic system, the limits of that septic system will become the occupancy limits for that property. 

Bethel’s law includes as well a range of “good neighbor” measures. An STR must have weekly garbage removal, and must secure its garbage containers tightly; STR guests must observe quiet hours between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.; littering is illegal; and recreational campfires must be attended. 

Enforcement of the measures in Bethel’s law will be carried out by the town’s code enforcement officer (CEO). The town’s CEO can enter the STR property and conduct inspections to ensure compliance with the permit’s conditions, and can revoke the permit if its conditions are broken. 

The law and its adoption

The Bethel Town Board set a public hearing on Wednesday, April 26 at 7:45 p.m. for consideration of the law. 

Bethel Town Supervisor Daniel Sturm said many great conversations and much research went into the drafting of the law, as did many of the public’s comments and concerns. Sturm described the law as a fair permitting system with additional enforcement mechanisms.  

The board was pleased that it was presenting this local law to the public, and the town had put a lot of time and thought into it, said board member Victoria Simpson. 

The law closely followed an STR law passed by the Town of Canadice in Ontario County, a law that the New York State government called the gold standard for STR regulations, Simpson added.