Another Johnson County city is considering stricter regulations for AirBnbs and Vrbos.
The Mission City Council during a mid-May work session expressed support for two separate ordinances — one specific to short-term rentals and a second one about nuisance parties — dealing with such properties. No formal action was taken by the city council.
If such ordinances are adopted by the city council, then Mission will join the growing list of Johnson County cities that are tightening short-term rental restrictions. So far in 2024, the cities of Fairway, Merriam and Shawnee have all taken formal action that dictates how AirBnbs and Vrbos can operate in city limits.
The city of Prairie Village is considering a 30-day stay minimum for rentals, which would effectively ban short-term rentals outright.
City Administrator Laura Smith told the Post that continued discussion of short-term rentals is anticipated through the summer.
What is Mission proposing?
The drafted short-term rental ordinance proposes implementing the following regulations, as outlined in city documents:
- A short-term rental is defined as a “dwelling or dwelling unit [that] is rented for 28 consecutive days or less.”
- Short-term rental owners need to acquire a license from the city and complete a safety certification at the time of the application.
- Both the license and “good neighbor guidelines” need to be posted somewhere on the property.
- A requirement to rent the dwelling out for two consecutive nights.
- No large gatherings, events or parties are permitted at short-term rentals.
- Short-term rentals must pay transient guest taxes.
- A limit of 10 people per short-term rental, with a limit of two adults per bedroom.
The drafted nuisance party ordinance proposes the following restrictions, as outlined in city documents:
- No unlawful sale, furnishing or consumption of alcoholic beverages (to deter underage drinking).
- No marijuana or other substances are allowed.
- No activity that disturbs the peace.
- No discharging of firearms, and no damage to property.
The city council largely liked the drafted ordinances
- Multiple councilmembers thanked city staff for bringing forward a comprehensive look at the short-term rental issue.
- Councilmember Trent Boltinghouse expressed concerns with allowing up to 10 people per short-term rental, noting he thinks that’s too many people.
- Others like Councilmembers Ben Chociej and Debbie Kring were less concerned about the number of people allowed in the dwelling or in individual rooms, instead focusing on other aspects of the matter.
- Chociej said he is interested to know how many short-term rentals there already are in Mission, and how many are owned by the same property owners.
- Mayor Sollie Flora said city staff is also looking at potential caps on how many short-term rentals one individual can own and how many can be on one individual property.
Next steps:
- Smith told the Post that there are no set dates for short-term rentals to return before the governing body.
- Still, Smith said she anticipates another discussion to happen in July with potential city council consideration in August.
Go deeper: Watch the entire discussion in the video embedded below, starting at 33:01.
