Erie City Council on Wednesday evening approved changes to the City’s zoning ordinance to include short-term rentals. By a 7-0 vote, council, at its regular monthly evening meeting, approved changes which now include:
- The definition of a residential dwelling unit has been changed to include its use as a short-term rental property. Hotels, motels, or other structures used for transient residence are still excluded from the definition of a dwelling.
- Any dwelling unit or room(s) within a dwelling can be rented for a period of less than 30 consecutive days, and must be licensed following the procedures outlined in the City of Erie Codified Ordinance, Article 330: Landlord and Rental.
- Overnight occupancy of recreational vehicles, camper trailers and tents is prohibited.
- The zoning districts in which short-term rentals can be licensed were also defined.
- Short-term rental accommodations shall not exceed the number of occupants allowed within the applicable zoning district.
- Short-term rentals are now permissible in the following Zoning Districts:
- R-2: Medium Density Residential
- R-3: High Density Residential
- RLB: Residential Limited Business
- C-1: Local Commercial
- C-2: General Commercial
- C-3: Central Commercial
- There are also some conditional uses and special exceptions
“I know this was not easy, but adding short-term rentals to the City’s Zoning Ordinance was something we really needed,” said Erie Mayor Joe Schember on Wednesday night. “I appreciate City Council’s hard work to accomplish this and to help keep Erie neighborhoods safe for everyone.”
These ordinance changes go into effect 60 days after Mayor Schember signs the ordinance, which is expected to happen this week. At that time, the final ordinance will be posted online. Until then, view a draft of the ordinance that was voted on by City Council on Wednesday.
