The Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners proposed rule changes for short-term rentals, including how they are defined, during a town hall meeting Monday.

Key changes include the addition of a “use” category and “performance standards” for short-term rentals. Under performance standards, the owner or caretaker of the unit must live in Harford County, no rental signage would be permitted, and a license from the town would be required.

Officials also altered the definition of short-term rentals, adding language that describes them as units or an accessory building for rent on a temporary basis for “28 continuous days or less.” The word continuous was added for clarification, commissioners said during a work session last month.

Short-term rentals would only be permitted within business districts, which Commissioner Steven Chizmar said is the appropriate place.

“In the long run, I’m still hoping that we can attract an official hotel or a boutique hotel,” Chizmar said. “To me that would be the ultimate solution, but I hope this gets us started.”

A public hearing on the proposed changes will be held at 7 p.m., Sept. 15 at Town Hall.

In Ocean City, short-term rental regulation has also been a hot topic, as residents voted last month against an ordinance that would have imposed limitations on rentals in the town’s residential areas.

The ordinance proposed a five-night minimum stay in the residential districts starting this year and a 31-night minimum stay starting in 2027. Supporters of the ordinance argued the restrictions would protect neighborhoods’ quality of life, by avoiding excess noise and trash and overcrowding. Opponents contended that it would threaten the city’s tourism-driven economy and infringe on property owners’ rights.

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