Updated: Tuesday, Feb. 27
The Shawnee City Council on Monday night approved an ordinance that will set new rules and regulations for short-term rentals, including Airbnbs and VRBOs.
The council voted 7-1 to approve amendments to Title 5 of the Shawnee Municipal Code. Councilmember Tony Gillette offered the lone dissent.
Owners of short-term rentals must now obtain a business license in order to operate in the city.
Other restrictions included in Monday’s ordinance include:
- Setting a capacity limit of two adults per bedroom plus an additional adult with a maximum of 10 people in one rental, including children.
- On-site parking is required, if available.
- An agent must live within 40 miles of the property.
- A $500 licensing fee per property. If a rental operates without a license, the property will be taken down from all short-term rental sites and apps.
- Exit signs are required.
- Compliance with the Shawnee Municipal Code regarding noise and parking.
- Prohibiting the use of a short-term rental space for a reception, party,
meeting or for other similar events open to non-resident guests. - Signs must be posted outlining the city’s rules and regulations in the property.
- If a property owner violates the city’s code, they will not be able to apply for a new license for two years. They could also face a $500 per day fine and/or jail time.
Gillette argued that Shawnee should adopt Leawood’s stricter ban on short-term rentals, but Councilmember Kurt Knappen countered that Shawnee’s drafted amendments did a good job of regulating rental properties and that most of the council agreed with it.
“I just feel like we’ve litigated this at length,” Knappen said. “Coming out of the council committee meeting, I felt like there was a consensus for what we’ve come up with today [Monday].”
Original story continues below:
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 city 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 council will consider rules and restrictions
The proposal would amend Shawnee Municipal Code Chapter 5 to regulate short-term rentals through the city’s business licensing department.
Some of the new requirements proposed include:
- The short-term rental property owner must obtain a business license. The price of the license is expected to be discussed at tonight’s meeting.
- A limit of two adults per bedroom, plus an additional two adults, with a maximum of 10 adults, plus children on the property.
- It would also have to have on-site parking, as opposed to street parking, if available.
- Regulations must be detailed on the property listing and posted inside the property.
Noise, safety ordinance penalties would get more teeth
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, including:
- Health and safety regulations in Title 8.
- Noise restrictions and public peace, morals and welfare listed in Title 9.
- Parking restrictions listed in Title 10.
If short-term rental owners fail to abide by these rules, then the city could revoke their business license to operate a rental.
“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.
The proposal comes after months of discussion
Discussions for the proposal first started in April 2023.
Since then, the city council and council committee have conducted seven meetings on the matter, with proposals ranging from an all-out ban on short-term rentals to limiting the size of a short-term rental property.
In that time, the composition of the city council has changed, with three new members and a new mayor coming on board after the November 2023 election.
In those discussions, there has been input from both sides of the issue. Neighbors of short-term rental properties have complained about noise, drunken behavior and sexual harassment coming from guests at rental properties.
Short-term rental owners have asked for crackdowns on poorly-run properties, while allowing rentals with no complaints to continue to operate with no new restrictions.
The proposal has been well received — mostly
While short-term rental owners, neighbors and most of the council committee had positive reaction to the proposal, not everyone is on board with it.
A staunch supporter of banning short-term rentals, Councilmember Tony Gillette said at the January meeting that the proposal does not go far enough.
“This may be a very good step in the right direction, but I think its problems persist across the nation,” he said. “These things happen on the coast, they come to the middle of the country later. So we need to be aware of this.”
Go deeper: Read the city council’s proposal
