BY MIRANDA JAIMES & CONNOR PITTMAN
Lawsuit halts short-term rental ban
The backstory
Grapevine city staff craft ordinance prohibiting short-term rentals October 2018
Case to go to final trial before the Tarrant County District Court TBD 2024 New regulations adopted by City Council January 2024
Grapevine officials prohibited all city short-term rentals in 2018, but property owners sued to stop the ban. A temporary injunction allows residents to continue renting their properties to this day, said J. Patrick Sutton, an attorney for the property own- ers. He said his case is still relevant with the new regulations. “We’re saying property owners have a fundamen- tal right to decide how long the lease lasts,” he said.
June 2023
Fort Worth Court of Appeals finds validity in homeowners’ case against Grapevine’s short-term rental ban Late 2021
Judge grants a temporary injunction, preventing the city from enforcing ordinance November 2018
Texas Supreme Court declines city of Grapevine’s request to reverse Court of Appeals’ decision
Trial is delayed August 2019
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
SOURCES: CITY OF GRAPEVINE, THE LAW OFFICE OF PATRICK SUTTON/COMMUNITY IMPACT
The cause
Current situation
The takeaway
Boyle said the city has the right to enforce zoning regulations and dictate land use. He pointed to a Court of Appeals ruling that home- owners cannot use their properties as short- term rentals under the city’s zoning ordinance. He also noted residents have voiced com- plaints about short-term rentals near them. Since 2019 there have been 25 calls to police about short-term rentals in Grapevine, and noise disturbances have made up the bulk of those complaints.
Over the last five years, the average number of short-term rentals peaked in Grapevine in 2021 but have remained higher than the 2019 total consistently. Larson said he and other short-term rental operators provide more affordable lodging to tourists wanting to visit Grapevine than is available elsewhere. Short- term rentals increased from an average number of 69 in 2019 to 77 in 2023.
Regulations on short-term rentals will continue to be enforced on a proactive basis with those caught out of compliance subject to a fine of up to $2,000 per violation, Boyle said.
Permit application checklist
Paying a fee and council approval is required for a permit.
Contact and personal information is needed for the operator and a representative.
Average number of rentals
Number of police calls
Noise disturbance: 15 Parking violation: 4 Investigation: 3 Suspicious circumstance: 1 Other: 2
100 80 60 40 20
98
93
Contact information for a 24-hour emergency contact must be provided.
90
77
69
25 total police calls
Operators must provide at least one parking spot per two- bedroom unit.
4
2
0
12
7
0
2019
2020 2021
2022 2023
SOURCE: GRAPEVINE POLICE DEPARTMENT/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: AIRDNA/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: CITY OF GRAPEVINE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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