The Plano City Council voted last Monday to approve an ordinance banning new short-term rentals in single-family neighborhoods.
The ordinance replaced the temporary ban on new short-term rentals (STRs) enacted in May 2023.
All short-term rentals existing in Plano before the temporary ban will be allowed to stay open. However, any new STRs in Plano must be in business areas where hotels are allowed.
The Plano City Council passed the vote 7-0 at its meeting after some 45 people spoke out in favor of the ban.
“Neighborhoods thrive because of the people that live there,” said a Plano resident at the council meeting. “Short-term rentals are not neighbors. They are empty houses owned by investors.”
“We now have a short-term rental next to us, and we have had nothing but problems,” said another Plano resident. “It is all bad.”
The proposed plan states that all STRs must be registered with the city. Properties will be identified as either a live-in management STR or an off-site management STR. Live-in managers must stay in the STR overnight whenever guests are present.
Some attendees at the meeting were opposed to the ban.
“I must express my strong opposition to the blanket ban on AirBnb rentals and single-family neighbors that are not owner-occupied,” stated an AirBnb rental operator.
He expressed his gratitude to the council for letting him continue operating his Airbnb in Plano “despite the challenges.” However, he said the ordinance seems to be trying to control property rights to fit a particular narrative.
“I strongly oppose the registration recommendation,” said a Plano resident and home-owner of over 20 years. “…It doesn’t seem fair, and I don’t believe it will solve the current issues with the problematic STRs.”
The ordinance was developed by Plano’s Short-Term Rental Task Force. The group crafted the policies by collecting residents’ feedback on how STR properties should be managed.
The task force was created in May 2023, the year after Plano police discovered a brothel operating out of an STR.
Two individuals were arrested in the sting, one for aggravated promotion of prostitution and the other for an assault warrant from Hays County, per Fox 4 KDFW.