Missoula City Council Expands Tourist Home Zoning to All Residential Districts, Requires Registration

This week the Missoula City Council passed yet another local ordinance, this time dealing with the issue of Tourist homes. Missoula City Councilman John DiBari explains the types of rentals addressed by the ordinance.

'If you were to rent out your house for 31 days, that is a long term rental and that does not meet this ordinance whatsoever, it would be just like renting out for six months or five years," DiBari said. "Really what we are trying to address here is the renting out of entire dwelling units for less than 30 days."

The new ordinance kicks in the first week of November and expands the area where tourist homes can be placed to nearly all zoning codes in the city, including all residential zoning districts and all but two industrial districts, however it also requires tourist home owners to register the home with the city.

"Folks who are operating tourist homes currently in residential areas could be complained against, essentially, and those tourist homes get shut down, but there could be a tourist home a few blocks over that doesn't get complained against and continues to operate," DiBari said. "The idea here was to be more even handed in the way that we address tourist homes in the area, recognize the fact that they are out there, they are providing a service for the community, they integrated into neighborhoods, but put some sideboards on them."

Tourist homes will have a first time registration fee of $50, followed by a yearly updating fee of $25. Operators will only allowed to run a maximum of two tourist homes at any given time.