Richardson council directs 500-foot STR separation, $300 registration fee and no grandfathering

The Richardson City Council directed staff to draft an ordinance that would impose a 500‑foot separation between short‑term rentals (STRs), increase the annual STR registration fee to $300, and not grandfather unregistered properties that would fall inside the separation zone.

City Manager Don Magner introduced the item and asked staff to report back after implementing a new STR-tracking software. "Back in April when you decided to pass a temporary prohibition on short term rentals, you asked us to take on two very important tasks," Magner said, noting staff’s work inventorying properties and compiling code and police data. City Attorney Joe Gafida advised council on legal risk and timing, cautioning that final clarity from the Texas Supreme Court could take months.

Lindsey Turman, director of community services, told the council the new platform identified 111 registered single‑family STRs and 59 unregistered single‑family listings — 170 total — and described complaint volumes and enforcement steps. "The platform is really intuitive...the accuracy of the information is leaps and bounds better than our old software," Turman said. Police Chief Gary Tittle said STR calls are a very small share of police service load — about 0.21% — but emphasized timely reporting for police‑related incidents: "Call 911 for police related issues," he said.

Council members debated whether 300 feet was an adequate standard and whether unregistered properties should be grandfathered. After executive session and further deliberation, a majority favored a more protective separation distance and not grandfathering unregistered properties. Don Magner said the staff would place the ordinance on the Aug. 10 agenda and noted the current moratorium is set to expire on Aug. 25.

Next steps: staff will draft the ordinance reflecting council direction and return it for formal adoption on the Aug. 10 meeting agenda.