Ames, IA Short-Term Rentals: Repeat Violator Strikes (2026)

Sec. 35.500(6)(a) gives the Enforcement Officer authority to immediately revoke or temporarily suspend a Short-Term Rental registration on any of four grounds: the registrant, designated operator, or guest violating any provision of Chapter 35 or a condition of the registration; the applicant making a false statement of material fact on the registration; the registrant, operator, or guest violating any federal, state, or city law relating to use of the property as a Short-Term Rental; or the Chief of Police or Fire Chief determining the rental poses a serious threat to public health, safety, or welfare.

Sec. 35.500(6)(b) requires the Enforcement Officer to send or deliver written notice stating the basis for the revocation or suspension, its effective date, the right to appeal, and the appeal procedure, and a suspension notice must include information about possible corrective action and the time allowed to comply. Sec. 35.500(6)(c) imposes the one-year consequence at the heart of the repeat-violator structure: once a registration is revoked, the dwelling unit or parcel described in it is ineligible to receive another Chapter 35 registration for one year from the date of revocation.

Sec. 35.500(6)(d) adds that a revoked unit also loses its exemption from full Chapter 13 Rental Housing Code compliance and cannot operate as a Short-Term Rental again until it obtains a Letter of Compliance under Chapter 13. Any owner aggrieved by a revocation, suspension, denial, or issuance decision can appeal to the Zoning Board of Adjustment within thirty days under Sec. 35.600, following the procedures in Zoning Ordinance Sec. 29.1403(8).