By admin 
West Columbia is the latest locality in the Midlands to set new rules on short-term rentals within the city.
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The city council on Monday voted to set new zoning requirements for where rentals listed on sites like Airbnb and Vrbo can be located in the city, the latest move meant to set standards for rental units in the S.C. Midlands.
Finding a home on the web to rent during trips has become a popular alternative to hotel stays. But the growth in short-term rentals have long been a headache for local governments.
Across the river, the city of Columbia passed measures limiting where rentals can be offered in the city earlier this year, prompted by a 2025 shooting in an Elmwood Park house that apparently had been rented out for a party. Three people were injured in the shooting, and one man died.
West Columbia Mayor Tem Miles voiced concerns at the time that Columbia’s new rules would push more short-term rentals into the neighboring city. West Columbia passed a freeze on issuing business licenses to rental operators while the city came up with its own new rules.
Starting Oct. 7, operators of short-term rentals will have to meet new requirements west of the Congaree River.
Under the rules adopted this month, short-term rentals must have a rental registration and business license with the city. The owner needs to have a $150 short-term rental permit, renewable annually, plus zoning approval for the unit.
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Either the landlord or their designated agent will need to be available by phone during the rental period, and any agent must have an office located within 30 miles of the city.
The unit must include a packet with contact information, parking spaces and restrictions, emergency services, waste collection schedule, and the quiet hours set by the city’s noise ordinance. It can only be rented to someone 21 years old or older for no less than two consecutive nights, and the maximum occupancy will be two per bedroom for any guest aged 5 and up.
Many of the regulations are meant to minimize disruptions to West Columbia’s neighborhoods. Neighboring property owners have to be notified of a short-term rental and given the operator’s contact information. One off-street parking space per bedroom must be provided. The maximum number of vehicles cannot exceed the number of off-street parking spaces for the unit, and parking on grass or public rights of way is prohibited.
To cut down on house parties, no visitors who aren’t staying in the unit are permitted between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., and renters can’t live within 25 miles of the unit. The city council even considered a requirement that each unit include a decibel monitor that alerted the operator if noise exceeded a certain level, but council members ultimately rejected that idea.
City officials can inspect a unit for compliance if they receive a complaint or if the property has an apparent structural issue.
Any noncompliance that isn’t corrected within 90 days will lead to a $100 fine, and permits can be suspended or revoked for failure to comply, with the property ineligible for a new permit for 12 months.
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