Short term rentals are a conditional use in both the residential and commercial zones. As part of obtaining a conditional use permit, the owner is required to comply with the following regulations:

(a)

License Requirement. In addition to the underlying permitting and process requirements, an owner shall obtain an annual revocable short term rental license from the City of Ruston whenever a dwelling unit is to be used for short term rental purposes under Chapter 5.05D of the Ruston Municipal Code. If the terms of the short term rental license are not met, the license may be revoked under the procedures in Title 5 RMC. If the requirements of the short term rental regulations under this chapter are not met, then the property owner may be subject to enforcement, including the imposition of civil penalties under the Ruston's code enforcement procedures contained in Chapter 25.03 RMC.

(b)

Occupancy Limits. No more than two overnight occupants per bedroom are allowed, plus two additional overnight occupants, shall be accommodated at any one time, e.g., a one bedroom cabin would be allowed four overnight occupants while a two bedroom cabin would be allowed six total overnight occupants. The total number of occupants temporarily residing in a short term rental shall not exceed six at any one time. "Occupants" includes all people over the age of two years.

(c)

Appearance. The exterior of the building(s) shall retain a residential appearance with house numbers maintained on the front of the building and visible from the street or road. No junk or garbage shall be allowed to accumulate in any yards and all vehicles shall park in designated parking areas.

(d)

Disturbances. The short term rental shall be operated in a way that will prevent disturbances to neighboring properties which are not typical of a residential neighborhood, including, but not limited to, loud music, loud noises, excessive traffic, loud and uncontrolled parties, junk/debris/garbage accumulation in the yards, trespassing, barking dogs, or excess vehicles, boats or recreational vehicles parked in the streets in front of the unit.

(e)

Garbage. Provisions shall be made for garbage removal during rental periods, at a minimum solid waste collection is required during all months.

(f)

Pets. Pets shall be secured at all times while on the property. Nuisance barking by pets is prohibited.

(g)

Parking. The short term rental unit shall comply with the parking requirements of the underlying zone.

(h)

Signage. One sign meeting the standards for wall mounted home occupations may be permitted in accordance with the Ruston Sign Code, Chapter 25.09 RMC. No off-premises signage of any type is permitted.

(i)

Accessory Dwelling Unit Approval Required. Short term rental units may only be permitted on a property with an approved accessory dwelling unit. The property owner must reside on premises and may rent out either the primary residence or the accessory dwelling unit, but not both. Short term rental unit and accessory dwelling unit permit applications may be processed concurrently. For purposes of this chapter, "reside" shall mean that the property owner's permanent residence is at the same address, and the property owner is staying overnight on the premises during all days of each short term rental occupancy period.

(j)

Property Management. A property management plan demonstrating how the short term rental will be managed and how impacts to neighboring properties will be minimized and/or mitigated shall be submitted for review and approval as part of the permitting and licensing process. The property management plan which shall include local points of contact available to respond immediately to complaints, clean up garbage, manage unruly tenants, etc., shall be mailed to all adjoining property owners within 300 feet as a condition of license approval, and shall be posted in a visible location within the short term rental.

(k)

Compliance with Other Codes. The short term rental shall meet the licensing requirements contained in Chapter 5.05D RMC and all applicable state and local health, safety and building codes.

(l)

Complaints. All complaints shall proceed as follows:

(1)

The complaining party shall first attempt to communicate with the local contact person designated on the permit and property management plan, describe the problem and leave a contact phone number for call back information;

(2)

The contact person shall respond promptly to the complaint, regardless of time of day, and make reasonable efforts to remedy any situation that is out of compliance; and

(3)

If the response is not satisfactory to the complaining party, then the complaining party may next provide a written complaint to the Ruston Code Enforcement Officer, which complaint shall identify and be signed by the complaining party. The complaint shall include a description of the informal attempts to resolve the complaint. A copy of the written complaint shall be provided to the owner and contact person by the City. The Ruston Code Enforcement Officer shall attempt to resolve the complaint. If so required, the owner or local contact person shall provide a written response to the complaint with the anticipated corrective action within ten days. A copy of the complaint will be filed in the City's short term rental license file.

(m)

Compliance and Revocation.

(1)

Owners of short term rentals shall obey all applicable laws and ordinances of the City and shall be subject to permit revocation procedures and appeals processes outlined in the Ruston Municipal Code;

(2)

If there have been two or more violations of this ordinance related to the same short term rental within 12 calendar months, or if there have been two or more violations of other City ordinances related to the same short term rental within 12 calendar months, the Planning Director shall revoke the short term rental license and underlying short term rental permit, and the property owner shall be prohibited from obtaining a new short term rental permit and license for at least one year from the date of said revocation;

(3)

The property owner may appeal the revocation of the short term rental license and permit pursuant to the appeals procedures outlined in the Ruston Municipal Code, or any amendment thereto; and

(4)

Nothing in this subsection precludes the City of Ruston from proceeding with formal enforcement action against a property owner and/or occupants for violations of this ordinance or any other provisions of the City Code as authorized under the City's code enforcement procedures.

(n)

Additional Conditions of Approval. The Planning Director may impose other conditions of approval, such as additional parking, improved access, fencing, landscaping, architectural detailing, open space, or minimum screening to ensure the proposed use is compatible with the surrounding residential neighborhood, provided that said conditions of approval are consistent with goals and policies of the Ruston Comprehensive Plan.

(Ord. 1505, § 3, Feb. 5th, 2019).