Clemson schedules Open House to discuss Short Term Rentals

The Clemson City Council passed an ordinance on June 20, 2015, regulating short term rentals of residential properties. After much deliberation and extensive reviews of how this has been handled in cities across the country, Council determined that a short term residential rental is the use of a dwelling or portion thereof for a fee or other compensation for periods of up to a total of no more than 25 days per calendar year. Short term residential rentals do not include hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfasts, or inns. When any part of a dwelling is rented, that day counts towards the 25-day cap for the entire dwelling. In other words, the 25-day rental cap is calculated per dwelling, rather than per bedroom or per rental unit within a dwelling. Effective immediately, property owners must register with the City of Clemson Planning and Codes Office. There is no fee or inspection required at this time. Looking ahead, beginning Jan. 1, 2017. Property owners will have until April 14, 2017 to have their property pass inspection and pay the annual registration fee of $100. The registration year runs from April 15th to April 14th of the following year. All short term rental registrations expire on April 14th each year. If a residence is not owner-occupied, the owner must provide the name of a person, firm, or corporation located within a 75-mile radius of the City of Clemson responsible for care and maintenance and who can be contacted in case of emergency or other issues. Maximum occupancy for a short term residential rental dwelling are if the dwelling is owner-occupied, the maximum short term residential rental occupancy is two persons per bedroom, plus two additional persons per dwelling, but in no cases shall rental occupancy exceed 10 persons total or if the dwelling is not owner-occupied, it is subject to the occupancy levels established by the underlying zoning of the dwelling, which, for most of the city, is two unrelated people. In no cases shall rental occupancy exceed 10 people total. This means that non-owner occupied short term residential rentals may not rent to more than two unrelated occupants at any one time. All parking for tenants must be contained on-site and only on improved surfaces, must post a sign, provided by the city, designating the property as a short term rental, and if there are multiple violations for litter, noise, or other nuisances, the property owner will be brought before Clemson City Council to determine if the short term rental permit should be revoked. Beginning in January 2017 and each year thereafter, short term rentals must pay an annual registration fee and pass a safety inspection. On Sept. 13, from 10am until noon the City of Clemson will host an Open House at the Planning and Codes office during which staff will be available to answer questions, register properties, and give out signs.