Garland is the latest city in North Texas to add tighter provisions for short-term rentals. The city council approved the new regulations this month and they went into effect a week ago.
Mayor Dylan Hedrick told KERA the push to tighten up the regulations came from residents themselves.
“We had already put some regulations in the past maybe three or four years ago, but we realized that that wasn't quite having the effect that we wanted to regulate these problem properties,” he said.
In addition to existing ordinances regulating noise and alcohol, the new regulations now require a minimum 48-hour stay for renters, a $500 annual license fee for owners — up from the previous $65 — and an annual inspection. Owners must also have proof of liability insurance, and renters are prohibited from parking on the street.
Kristen Lucido, a resident of Garland, told city council members at a recent meeting that for months, she’s had to document, take pictures and submit reports to Garland’s non-emergency contact platform about (violations etc).
“I know we're tired of it,” Lucido said. “We know that the city staff and code enforcement officers, neighborhood police officers are always willing to respond, but they're tired of it.”
One of the complaints she and other residents mentioned was cars double parking on the street and blocking driveways, making it challenging for residents and emergency vehicles to get to homes.
Under the new regulations, STR guests parking on the street could get a citation, which would be enforced by city marshals.
"We have many that are abiding by the rules that we don't have many issues with, but we have some that may color outside the lines a little bit," said Brian Morris, code compliance manager for the city. “This gives us more enforcement tools to be able to hold those individuals accountable and those business owners accountable.”
Morris told KERA that by increasing the minimum stay from 24 hours to 48 hours, it “de-incentivizes people from renting it out for one night.”
“Maybe they're having a party, a celebration, which there's nothing wrong with that, but it makes it a little bit more cost prohibitive for them to rent that location for that particular event," Morris said. “And I think a lot of our issues may have stemmed from those one-time occurrences."
Repeat violators may also be required to enter into a compliance agreement with the city, with tighter restrictions. The new regulations have more “teeth,” Morris said. STR operators could have their license suspended or lose their ability to operate in the city entirely.
"If we find a habitual violator, we can institute a compliance agreement and we just put additional regulations, additional monitoring, and additional checks and balances so we can truly hold them accountable,” he said.
Other cities in North Texas with STR regulations include Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Denton, Frisco, North Richland Hills, Plano, and Euless. In Dallas, an appeals court in 2023 ruled that the city could not enforce two STR ordinances, including one banning operation of STRs in some parts of Dallas.
"It's important to remember that short term rentals are fairly new,” Morris said. “And so often municipalities are playing a bit of catch up when it comes to regulating new businesses, new innovative ideas. It was time for us to address some of those concerns and put some new things in place.”
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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