Bethlehem City Council OKs clarifications to short-term rental rules | Bethlehem Area

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Bethlehem City Council approved amendments governing short-term rentals Tuesday night at city hall.

The amendments collectively address transient rentals for stays shorter than 30 days and regulate short-term rentals such as Airbnbs so that they would be permitted only where hotels are permitted currently. In summary, the amendments would have the effect of excluding short-term rentals in residential districts where hotels are prohibited.

The definition of “hotel” now includes “an establishment where members of the public may obtain, for money or other consideration, sleeping accommodations in a building or group of building serving transient guests.”

City Council’s ordinance states further that a hotel is “an establishment which has sleeping quarters for periods less than 30 consecutive days is a hotel…even though the establishment may have other accommodations which are used for purposes other than sleeping, and even though the establishment may have rooms, suites or other sleeping quarters which are available only for periods of 30 consecutive days or more.

Then the amendment what would be considered a “dwelling unit.” This additions states “no room, suite or other sleeping quarter in a hotel…shall be considered a dwelling unit.”

Finally, another amendment defines transient guests: “One or more persons that occupy a single dwelling unit or room, suite or other sleeping quarter for money or other consideration for a period of less than 30 consecutive days.”

In addition, a characteristic of a “boarding house” requiring “rooms shall be rented for a minimum period of five consecutive days” was deleted.

General obligation notes

City Council approved authorizing and issuing the 2026 series of general obligation notes.

The ordinance provides that all proceeds from the 2026 notes be applied to carry out the refunding of all or some of Bethlehem’s outstanding debt from the 2017 “A,” “B” and “E” series and the 2019 series.

Tuesday night’s action features a maximum aggregate principal amount of $25 million.