The Signal Mountain Town Council unanimously gave final approval this week for the town to charge a fee to apply or renew a permit to operate a vacation rental, despite resident concerns that the fee makes it cost-prohibitive to occasionally rent out a room.
The $300 permit application fee and the $150 annual renewal fee reflect the town’s cost to inspect rentals, council member Miles Jorgensen said before the council’s first vote on the new fees at its April 13 meeting.
“The goal is to ensure that people that stay in your property are safe,” Vice Mayor Clay Crumbliss said.
Council members also voted to increase the penalty for operating a rental without a permit from $500 to $3,000, plus an additional $500 per day the property owner remains in violation.
“The fees that we went very high on were the penalty fees, to make it not worth anybody’s while to take a penalty and to really promote getting a permit,” Mayor Elizabeth Baker said.