Providing for temporary lodging at short-term rentals; and imposing penalties.
HB2303 would create a new chapter in Title 48 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes to regulate temporary lodging at short-term rentals statewide. The bill defines several categories of short-term rental activity, including homestays, vacation rentals, and corporate short-term rental operators, and then assigns different permitting, insurance, safety, inspection, and operational requirements to each category. It also requires counties that allow short-term rentals to maintain registries and share certain information with the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and, for tax administration purposes, the Department of Revenue.
The bill would require annual county permits for homestays and vacation rentals, impose liability insurance requirements for most short-term rentals, and establish safety standards such as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, evacuation maps, occupancy limits, and human trafficking awareness training. Corporate STR operators would face the most extensive obligations, including enhanced monitoring, exterior video surveillance, sanitation protocols, employee training, and recordkeeping. Booking services would also be required to report listing and booking information, verify permit status, and collect and remit applicable hotel occupancy taxes unless the owner directly remits them.
HB2303 would add a new regulatory framework to Pennsylvania law governing short-term rentals, expanding county and municipal oversight while preserving local zoning authority. It would authorize counties to issue permits, collect fees tied to administration and enforcement, maintain registries, and enforce compliance through inspections, civil penalties, permit suspension or revocation, and court injunctions. The bill also creates new obligations for booking platforms and requires data-sharing between DCED, counties, and the Department of Revenue for tax enforcement and public safety purposes. Affected parties would include short-term rental owners, homestay hosts, corporate rental operators, counties, municipalities, and online booking services.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the measure appears to reflect a generally regulatory and enforcement-oriented approach rather than a partisan floor fight. Its sponsors suggest support for stronger oversight of short-term rentals, especially in the areas of safety, tax compliance, and neighborhood impacts. The bill’s structure indicates an effort to balance statewide standards with local control, which may appeal to municipalities seeking more tools to manage short-term rental activity.
The main points of contention are likely to be the scope of regulation, the burden on hosts and booking platforms, and the balance between state standards and local authority. Corporate STR operators face the heaviest requirements, including surveillance, sanitation, training, and recordkeeping, which could draw objections from the short-term rental industry. Booking services are also subject to reporting and tax-collection duties, which may be controversial. At the same time, the bill preserves municipal zoning power and allows local restrictions, so some stakeholders could argue it does not go far enough to preempt local variation, while others may view it as too intrusive on property owners and online platforms.