Commission opts for minimal regulation

By Wiley Wood

Are private individuals who rent out rooms in Norfolk via the Internet competing unfairly with licensed bed-and-breakfasts? This was the charge brought to the Planning and Zoning Commission last fall by Dean Johnson, owner of the Mountain View Inn.

The commission reviewed its regulations this winter and, on June 9, will hold a public hearing to present its proposed regulatory changes and hear any comments from the public.

Focusing on issues of safety and public order, the commission chose not to weigh in on whether the competition of online services such as Airbnb is fair or unfair.

The amended regulations will allow absentee house owners to rent to family groups for a night or for a year without a special permit.

Home owners may also rent up to two bedrooms of the house they live in without restriction. Renting rooms to students, which has always been allowed in Norfolk, falls under a relaxed provision, with unrestricted rental of up to four bedrooms for three consecutive months.

Rental of three or more bedrooms in one’s home is deemed to be a business use, and a special permit is required. The application process requires a visit from the building inspector and the fire marshal, and the cost of the permit is $410. Rental of an unoccupied house to any but a family group also requires a permit.

The public hearing will be held at 6:45 p.m. on June 9 in Norfolk’s town hall.