CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A woman is suing the City of Chattanooga, claiming they violated her constitutional rights when denying her a short-term vacation rental (STVR) permit.
The lawsuit requests an appeal of the decision made by the city on December 20th, 2023 to deny her application for a permit.
That decision, according to the lawsuit, found Sana Dabit (the petitioner) to be in violation of a city ordinance prohibiting STVRs unless the owner has a permit and is located within an “overlay district map.”
The lawsuit says the ordinance distinguishes between 2 types of STVR ownership:
- Owner occupied or homestay
- Absentee ownership
STVRs that are type 1 are allowed in “all zones that residential uses… within the existing overlay district map.”
The lawsuit says Dabit operated an STVR in her owner occupied home, located in an R1 zoned residential area.
She submitted an application to the city for a permit to operate her STVR, but the lawsuit says she was denied because the home was “not located within the existing overlay district.”
The lawsuit says this violates her constitutional rights and is “invalid and illegal.”
In response, the city had the legal action remanded by Chancery Court in Hamilton County.
The court documents could not be included in this story as the contain the address of the home and other personal information.