Bill limiting short-term rental regulation advanced by House

The Indiana House has approved a bill that would limit regulation of short-term home rentals.

The measure by Rep. Matt Lehman, R-Berne, is significantly scaled back from his bill last year. That measure would have drastically curtailed local governments' authority in the matter.

Lehman's bill was approved Monday on a 74-19 vote.

The bill would guarantee homeowners the ability to rent out their primary residence on websites such as Airbnb.

But it allows for more restrictive regulation on secondary properties. Local governments could create a number of restrictions such as setting zoning restrictions, or requiring a permit to rent.

Governments that approved stronger limitations before the start of this year would also be grandfathered in.