There has been a significant win in Commonwealth Court in a case called Ruffled Grouse Ridge Owners Association versus Charles Hura. Ruffled Grouse Ridge is a small community in the northern part of the Poconos, in Lakeville, Paupack Township, Wayne County. Homes here have a restrictive covenant tied to their deeds which includes giving an owner’s association regulatory powers. The association...
Laws & Regulation news
On March 18, 2024 in a packed township meeting, the Tobyhanna Township Board of Supervisors voted 3 to 2 to Cap the number of STR licenses at a number that equals 12% of the number of homes. The Cap was originally proposed at 10% but in the discussion portion of the meeting the administrative staff of the township suggested that the township was very close, even over the 10% level, thus 12% emerged....
As a realtor who specializes in helping people find vacation rental properties, I see a lot of interesting interpretations of the rules which is one of the primary reasons we have so many rules. You should assume that to operate a vacation rental or short-term rental in the Poconos, you will need a municipal license. It is very rare that a municipality in this tourist area doesn’t identify where STR is...
Short-term Rentals (STR) in Pennsylvania are regulated by the local municipalities. Pennsylvania has three official forms of municipal governments, cities, townships, and boroughs. Municipalities have the right to restrict this use of a home through Zoning and they have the right to regulate STR through local ordinances and licensing processes. To give you a sense of the scale, there are 2,560...
There are indeed risks associated with regulations that will impact a STR Business. Operators who are willing to invest time and effort to influence the political forces that impact their business can help minimize that risk. Here we explore how.