Public hearing on vacation rentals next month

The Flathead County Commissioners will hold a public hearing at 10 a.m. Feb. 27 on regulations to vacation rentals in the middle Canyon area, including West Glacier.

Under the proposed changes, short-term housing in the Middle Canyon area, which includes neighborhoods from Lake Five east to Bear Creek, would be subject to minor land use approval.

The regulations would be a text amendment to the Canyon Area Land Use Regulatory System. With the new regulations, adjacent neighbors would have to be notified if a property owner wanted to start a short-term rental. In addition, no additional signage, other than the address, would be allowed. Some other highlights of the regulations include the capping the number of guests based on the capacity of septic and water systems. The property would have to have adequate off-street parking and the home would have to obtain a State of Montana Public Accommodation License for a tourist home and would have to collect the state bed tax.

Short-term vacation rental properties have surged in popularity in Flathead County in recent years. Some people even move out of their own homes during the summer months so they can rent them out to tourists.

On the Vacation Rental by Owner website, for example, there are 133 houses or other dwellings listed for rent in the West Glacier region.

Under the proposed regulations at short-term rental is defined as “A residential use in a dwelling unit designed for such use for periods of time less than 30 days. Short-term Rental Housing may be referred to as vacation rental, tourist accommodation units, or resort dwelling units.”

Commissioners could adopt the regulations after the hearing. If they do, they would likely go into affect in early April.