A group of residents in unincorporated Hamilton County are unhappy with the lack of enforcement of the county’s new short-term rental regulations passed by the County Commission in April.
“Rules and regulations, stuff we were told are going to happen, have not happened,” Sale Creek homeowner Cindy Triplett said. “Enforcement is not happening.”
Residents say some regulations have been loosened, and they feel it’s unfair for commissioners who don’t have constituents in unincorporated parts of the county to make decisions that have negative effects only for residents of unincorporated Hamilton County.
“The biggest thing is, those are commercial ventures,” said Cathy Faulkner, a resident of unincorporated Hamilton County. “They’re not facing business taxes like they should.”
Some areas, such as Sevierville, Tennessee, require owners of short-term rentals to pay commercial property taxes. Hamilton County short-term rental owners pay residential taxes on their properties, even though they operate those properties as businesses.