Mt. Hood Vacation Rental Public Hearing Letter
On January 30, the County Board of Commissioners held its first public hearing on the proposed new regulations on short-term/vacation rentals in unincorporated Clackamas County. Before the meeting the commissioners received the results of the online questionnaire and additional public comments submitted by email.
After hearing testimony from 16 people, the board decided to extend the first public hearing until Thursday, Feb. 13, and asked to meet with staff to discuss the issues at a policy session.
That policy session was held yesterday afternoon. After much discussion, the Board of Commissioners continued to support the draft regulations, but did ask staff to make the following changes:
- Allow guest houses to be used as short-term rentals. (Current county code prohibits guest houses – defined as an adjacent sleeping area without a kitchen or laundry – from being rented.)
- Increase the maximum occupancy per short-term rental to two people multiplied by the number of sleeping areas plus four additional people. (For example, a two-bedroom home would have a maximum occupancy of eight people.) The total maximum occupancy for any short-term rental, even one with six or more sleeping areas, would remain at 15 people.
- Allow owners of short-term rentals in unincorporated Clackamas County inside the Portland urban growth boundary (UGB) to use a dwelling or guest house on a lot adjacent to their primary residence to be used as a short-term rental. (The current proposed language requires a short-term rental in the UGB to be the owner’s primary residence or located on the same lot as the owner’s primary residence.)
- Set fines for violation of short-term rental regulations similar to those for many other code enforcement violations -- $250 for first citation, $500 for second citation, $75/month administrative fee while the case is open, and additional charges for each day the violation continues.
The updated draft regulations will be available online at www.clackamas.us/planning/str later this week. As before, people who wish to comment are invited to send an email to Senior Planner Martha Fritzie at [email protected] or testify in person at the continuation of the first hearing or the second hearing. Both hearings will be in the Board Meeting Room on the 4th floor of the Public Services Building, 2051 Kaen Road, Oregon City.
- Continuation of first public hearing: Board of Commissioners Business Meeting, 10 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 13
- Second public hearing and Board action: Board of Commissioners Business Meeting, 10 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 27
Thank you for your continued interest.
Ellen Rogalin, Community Relations Specialist
Clackamas County Public & Government Affairs
Transportation & Development | Business & Community Services
503-742-4274 | 150 Beavercreek Road, Oregon City, OR 97045
Office hours: 9 am – 6 pm, Monday-Friday
