RDEK establishes density rules for short-term rentals

The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) board has adopted an updated short-term rental temporary use permit policy that introduces density criteria for Electoral Area F.

“We’ve heard from residents, community associations and operators that density in Area F needed to be addressed, and that the process needs to have more certainty,” said Rob Gay, Board Chair, RDEK.

“These criteria respond to concerns about the concentration of short-term rentals, while giving property owners and operators clarity about where new permits would be considered before they apply.”

Area F accounts for 193 of the 306 short-term rental temporary use permits issued by the RDEK to date, prompting calls for clearer density rules.

The criteria specify where new permits may be issued based on their distance from existing permits:

• Small-lot residential areas — lots under 0.5 acres outside resort areas — require 75 metres of separation, measured from the boundary of the property under application.
• Resort communities, where fewer than 25 per cent of homes are occupied by usual residents, require 35 metres of separation, measured from the boundary of the property under application.
• Lots larger than 0.5 acres are subject to an adjacency restriction.
• Strata properties are exempt from the density criteria.

Staff will process Area F applications through the delegated approval process if they meet all policy requirements, including the new density criteria.

Applications that do not meet the requirements will continue to go before the board.

The interim criteria will be reviewed during public consultation planned for 2027 as the RDEK moves toward regulation through a business-licence model.