New legislation on short-term rentals goes into effect starting this July, opening up destination areas in the state to the prospect of more short-term rentals. 

Some municipalities such as the city of Coeur d’Alene sought to oppose House Bill 583, pointing out concerns that it would override local laws and control over STRs.

Sponsored by Rep. Jordan Redman, R- Coeur d'Alene, the bill allows local governments “to regulate short-term rentals only in cases where it is in the interest of public health and safety.” 

“It’s been a three-year process that we’ve finally gotten into state law this year,” Redman said.     

Redman said he became aware of a push from owners interested in creating STR businesses to combat what they viewed as “heavy-handed government.”  

Because some cities had differences in zoning on the books for STR versus long-term rentals, Redman said the extra layers of municipal laws could be cost-prohibitive for aspiring STR owners. 

“Some municipalities were saying if you rent it for 30 days, you don’t have to do it, but if you rent it for three days, you do have to do this. It's just making an equal playing field for everyone,” Redman said. “I had a number of Idahoans reaching out from whatever municipality they were in the jurisdiction of.”    

Looking at the concentration of STRs, Redman said most favor resort-type areas like Sun Valley or Coeur d’Alene where there’s more of a market demand. 

“As far as the data I have, the estimates that we have for short-term rentals within the overall housing stock are about 1% in the state and about 1½ % in Kootenai County,” Redman said. 

The over-arching motivation behind the law was flexibility for property owners when it comes to rentals. 

The Idaho Vacation Rental Association praised the bill, stating that it affirms private property rights while preserving reasonable local enforcement within their jurisdiction.   

“The biggest argument that I heard against it is local control in jurisdictions should be able to determine what people do in their homes,” Redman said. “I think the argument there is when it’s your property, you should be in control of that and not let bureaucrats be in control of that, it’s property rights issue more than anything.” 

Melissa Radford, VP of Advocacy for Idaho Vacation Rental Association, stated that the passing of HB 583 ends years of “regulatory overreach and financial burdens” which previously discouraged vacation rentals in various municipalities. 

“It reinforces our constitutional property rights, delivers regulatory certainty, and ensures equal treatment under the law for responsible owners,” Radford said. 

Radford said members of the Idaho Vacation Rental Association are thrilled to finally be treated like any other single-family home under zoning and building codes.  

Expensive commercial-style upgrades like fire suppression sprinklers or oversized septic systems used to be a deterrent from creating an STR, she noted.  

“HB 583 ends years of regulatory overreach and financial burdens that some localities used to discourage vacation rentals. It reinforces our constitutional property rights, delivers regulatory certainty and ensures equal treatment under the law for responsible owners,” Radford said. 

    Redman