2024 -- S 2187 | |
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LC004215 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2024 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- TOURISM AND | |
DEVELOPMENT | |
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Introduced By: Senators Gu, Kallman, Euer, Zurier, Sosnowski, DiMario, Mack, | |
Date Introduced: January 24, 2024 | |
Referred To: Senate Housing & Municipal Government | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Section 42-63.1-14 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-63.1 entitled "Tourism |
2 | and Development" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
3 | 42-63.1-14. Offering residential units through a hosting platform. |
4 | (a) For any rental property offered for tourist or transient use on a hosting platform that |
5 | collects and remits applicable sales and hotel taxes in compliance with §§ 44-18-7.3(b)(4)(i), 44- |
6 | 18-18, and 44-18-36.1, cities, towns, or municipalities shall not prohibit the owner from offering |
7 | the unit for tourist or transient use through such hosting platform, or prohibit such hosting platform |
8 | from providing a person or entity the means to rent, pay for, or otherwise reserve a residential unit |
9 | for tourist or transient use. A hosting platform shall comply with the requirement imposed upon |
10 | room resellers in §§ 44-18-7.3(b)(4)(i) and 44-18-36.1 in order for the prohibition of this section to |
11 | apply. The division of taxation shall at the request of a city, town, or municipality confirm whether |
12 | a hosting platform is registered in compliance with § 44-18-7.3(b)(4)(i). |
13 | (b) Any short-term rental property listed for rent on the website of any third-party hosting |
14 | platform that conducts business in Rhode Island shall be registered with the department of business |
15 | regulation. The registration shall provide the information necessary to identify the property |
16 | pursuant to subsection (d) of this section. The assigned registration number corresponding to |
17 | subsection (h) of this section shall be displayed on any advertising listing of the property for short- |
18 | term rental. For purposes of this section, the term “short-term rental” means a person, firm, or |
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1 | corporation’s utilization, for transient lodging accommodations, not to exceed thirty (30) nights at |
2 | a time. |
3 | (c) The department of business regulation shall contact all hosting platforms that list |
4 | property in Rhode Island on their website for rent and that submit hotel taxes to the division of |
5 | taxation and shall provide notice of the registration requirement, pursuant to this section, instructing |
6 | the hosting platforms to notify their listed properties to register with the department of business |
7 | regulation by December 31, 2021, or be subject to fines pursuant to § 42-63.1-14.1 subsection (i) |
8 | of this section. |
9 | (d) The state registration pursuant to this section shall include: |
10 | (1) The principal place of business of the owner, or if outside the state, the agent for service |
11 | of process or property manager for the owner; |
12 | (2) The phone number of the owner of the property and/or property manager; |
13 | (3) The email address of the property owner and/or property manager; |
14 | (4) The address of the rental property; |
15 | (5) The number of rooms for rent at the property; |
16 | (6) Whether the registrant rents or owns; and |
17 | (7) Intended use (entire space, private room, or shared space). |
18 | (e) The assigned registration number shall consist of numeric and alpha characters, the |
19 | alpha characters shall correspond to the city/town where the property is located and shall be uniform |
20 | for the remaining properties in said city/town. |
21 | (f) The department of business regulation shall notify all hosting platforms to contact all |
22 | listed properties by December 31, 2021 2024, to ensure compliance with this section and if the |
23 | listed properties are not duly registered and compliant with this section after six (6) months, the |
24 | hosting platform shall remove the property listing from its website. |
25 | (g) The department of business regulation shall promulgate rules and regulations to |
26 | correspond with and enforce this section and § 42-63.1-14.1 and may charge a registration fee to |
27 | property owners registering with the department pursuant to this section. |
28 | (h) The department of business regulation shall create an online database to store all |
29 | registered short-term rental units, and each unit shall have an online identification number in said |
30 | database to correspond with subsection (e) of this section assigned registration number in the |
31 | database. The assigned registration number shall be given to the owner of the property upon |
32 | registration. |
33 | (i) Any owner of the property who or that fails to register with the department of business |
34 | regulation as prescribed herein and lists the property as a short-term rental on a hosting platform |
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1 | website shall be subject to a civil fine as follows: |
2 | (1) Two hundred fifty dollars ($250) for the first thirty (30) days of non-compliance; |
3 | (2) Five hundred dollars ($500) for between thirty-one (31) and sixty (60) days of non- |
4 | compliance; and |
5 | (3) One thousand dollars ($1,000) for more than sixty (60) days of non-compliance. |
6 | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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LC004215 | |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- TOURISM AND | |
DEVELOPMENT | |
*** | |
1 | This act would allow the department of business regulation to create an assigned |
2 | registration number for any short-term rental property listed for rent on a third-party hosting |
3 | platform. |
4 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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LC004215 | |
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