As part of their multi-pronged effort to address housing availability and affordability in town, the Council has been mulling tighter regulations on short-term rentals for the better part of a year. The resulting ordinance passed unanimously at the Sept. 16 meeting, following a couple of key amendments.

An earlier version of the ordinance required each rental to carry a $1 million insurance policy and post contact information for the owner/manager in a location visible from the street.

Prior to the vote being taken, Council Chairman Nathan Calouro proposed amendments to those two provisions. Calouro stated that he had consulted with the Town Solicitor before the meeting and was advised that removing the insurance requirement would not constitute a substantive change or weaken the ordinance. He explained that, unlike situations in which a private business uses Town property and the Town requires insurance naming the Town as an additional insured, the Town would not have a direct interest in the amount of insurance carried by a private short-term rental owner. The Council agreed to delete the $1 million insurance requirement.

The second proposed amendment concerned the subsection which required the short-term rental registration number, property address, and contact information for the owner or resident manager to be posted conspicuously on the property where it could be seen from a public street during rental periods. Calouro stated that the Town should have current registration and contact information available for enforcement and public safety purposes but expressed concern that requiring the information to be publicly displayed was unnecessary and could stigmatize the property.

The Council discussed whether the posting requirement should be removed entirely or replaced with a filing requirement. Members agreed that the Town should maintain the information in its records and noted that the ordinance could be amended in the future if experience demonstrated a need for additional notice requirements.

Town Solicitor Andrew Teitz recommended that the subsection be amended rather than deleted. He proposed removing the language requiring the information to be “posted conspicuously where it can be seen from the public street during rental periods in a manner prescribed by the Zoning Officer” and replacing it with a requirement that the information be filed with the Zoning Officer.

Councilman Tim Sweeney stated that he supported the ordinance because it would help protect Bristol’s long-term housing supply while addressing parking, public safety, and neighborhood stability. Councilman Aaron Ley said that he approved the exemption for occasional rentals being increased from seven nights to fourteen nights as it allows additional flexibility for residents who may wish to rent their homes during the Fourth of July period, while traveling, or at another time during the year without becoming subject to the full short-term rental regulations.

As written and passed, the ordinance includes the following provisions and requirements:

• It defines a short-term rental as a building in which one or more dwelling units or rooms for sleeping are rented for lodging accommodations for periods of 31 consecutive days or less.

• No more than six short-term renters, regardless of age, shall be allowed during any rental period irrespective of the number of dwelling units or rooms for sleeping that are contained in the building.

• Only one building on a lot or parcel of land shall be allowed a short-term rental use.

• All short-term rentals must be registered with the state.

• Short-term rentals validly registered with the State of Rhode Island at the date of adoption (Sept. 16, 2026) of these standards shall be presumed to be legally non-conforming pre-existing uses and thus exempt from a special use permit and resident-occupancy requirements unless registration is not renewed with the Department of Business
Regulation and allowed to lapse for a period greater than 365 consecutive days. After 365 consecutive days, the use shall be presumed to be abandoned, at which point a special use permit must be obtained to restart operation.

• A special use permit shall be required for any property, lot or parcel hosting or advertising short term rentals for more than fourteen (14) total nights in a calendar year.

• A special use permit may be granted by the Zoning Board if all standards are met. Special use permits for short-term rentals shall be valid for three (3) years and may be renewed.

• The owner who is responsible for managing a short-term rental must reside on the same property, lot, or parcel during the entire duration of any short-term rental.

• No more than 5 bedrooms shall be rented in total for short-term rentals per property, lot, or parcel.

• One off-street parking spot per bedroom shall be required in addition to the minimum parking spaces already required for the building.

• Any unit that is not a legal residential unit shall not be eligible for short-term rental.

• The DBR registration number of the rental, property address and contact information for owner or resident manager must be filed with the Zoning Officer.

• Properties, lots, or parcels hosting short-term rentals shall not be used or advertised in whole or in part as venues for events, parties, or functions.

Nick Toth, of the town’s Community Development Department, is preparing a list of FAQ on the new ordinance and can help current or would-be short-term rental hosts navigate the new rules. He can be reached at 401/253-7000 x153, or ntoth@bristolri.gov.