Easthampton Ordinance Panel Finalizes Short-Term Rental Rules, Sets Public Hearing

EASTHAMPTON — August 28, 2025 — Easthampton's Ordinance Committee moved its short-term rental ordinance toward a public hearing at an August 28 working session. Chair Connie Denham said she would bring the draft to the full City Council at its next meeting and schedule a public hearing, with an October deadline as the target for final adoption. The ordinance would cap citywide short-term rental registrations at 50 units, limit rentals to 250 days per year for properties with fire-sprinkler systems and to less than half the year for those without, and place oversight with the Board of Health rather than the Licensing Board. Planning Director Allison added new language to section 40-50.4(G) allowing the Board of Health to impose occupancy limits on properties served by private septic systems, with Health Department Director Brian Griffin recommending that pumping records — rather than a costly formal inspection — serve as proof of maintenance. Two short-term rental operators raised concerns in public comment, including Lindsay Rothschild of 73 Mount Tom Avenue, who argued against any numerical cap and asked the city to seek a state interpretation of sprinkler enforcement before applying requirements that most Massachusetts communities are not enforcing.