LPD: Crackdown coming on Airbnb-style party houses

Mayor, police chief say the city will target unauthorized short-term rentals after parties end in violence.

A year after Lafayette joined West Lafayette and unincorporated parts of Tippecanoe County to limit the proliferation of Airbnb-styled short-term rentals in single-family neighborhood, the city announced plans to get more aggressive with owners of houses used for out-of-control parties.

The move, announced by Lafayette police Friday, comes after a pair of parties organized and promoted over social media this spring at short-term rentals ended in violence.

In one case from April, at a house in the 1900 block of Crowfoot Drive, one person was shot during a party held at a short-term rental. In another in May, in the 1400 block of Catula Avenue, several people were arrested after reports of a large crowd and juveniles carrying firearms.

“We are seeing parties at short-term rentals lead to dangerous situations — including firearms and violence — which put guests, neighbors and responding officers at serious risk,” Lafayette Police Chief Scott Galloway said in a release Friday. “This is a public safety issue. We are committed to preventing these incidents before someone else gets hurt.”

City officials said they planned to start cracking down on unauthorized short-term rentals – known in city code as transient guest houses – and issuing fines or legal action. Lafayette police also announced that enforcement would include action against owners who rent their properties “for the purpose of hosting dangerous parties.”

“We’ve seen too many short-term rentals used in ways that put people in danger,” Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski said in a release. “Some of these properties shouldn’t be operating at all, and others may not even realize they’re breaking the rules. Either way, we’re going to start holding people accountable. Public safety has to come first.”

In Lafayette, short-term rentals are allowed in R3/multi-family zoning and with a special exception in R2 residential zoning. Between 2017 and July 2024, the city allowed short-term rental homes in single-family, R1 zoning, provided the owner received a special exception from the Board of Zoning Appeals. Lafayette requires a permit for any short-term rental, no matter what sort of zoning they have.

After more than a year of pushback from neighborhoods and city and school officials looking preserve housing stock, particularly near Purdue’s campus, and to stem complaints about the unpredictability of living next to a short-term rental, Lafayette, West Lafayette and Tippecanoe County agreed in summer 2024 to simply ban new Airbnb and Vrbo-style transient guest houses in single-family residential areas.

According to Lafayette records, 39 short-term rentals have permits from the city. The two that hosted the parties called out this week by Lafayette police were not on that list.

“Noncompliant transient rentals have been addressed on a complaint basis,” Dave Griffee, public works assistant director with the city, said. “They are (and) will be handled by a standard cease and desist letter from our office, and I expect that we will be taking a more proactive approach given the current circumstances.”

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‘NO KINGS’ RALLIES SATURDAY: Several local groups – including Greater Lafayette Indivisible, MAD Voters and the Women’s March – plan a march and rally Saturday, one of many similar “No Kings” demonstrations being held nationwide. They come the same day as a military parade that day in Washington, D.C., to mark the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday. (It also coincides with President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday.) The local rally – organized by Greater Lafayette Indivisible, MAD Voters and the Women’s March – will start at 10 a.m. with a march from the Margerum Fountain on the west side of the Myers Pedestrian Bridge, going around the Tippecanoe County Courthouse and back to Tapawingo Park in West Lafayette for a community fair that runs from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Here’s more on the national wave of protests scheduled Saturday: “‘No Kings’ protests nationwide to push back on Trump’s ‘overreach.’” And here’s more from The Washington Post about the military parade happening at the National Mall: “What to know about the Army parade in D.C. on Saturday, Trump’s birthday.”

SENATE RALLIES AROUND C-SPAN: C-SPAN, founded by Lafayette native and Purdue grad Brian Lamb, is finding allies in Congress who are looking to make sure the network devoted to covering congressional hearings and more finds space in cable lineups. The Washington Post reported this week that U.S. Sen. Todd Young, an Indiana Republican, joined a bipartisan resolution that encouraged – maybe even threatened – cable companies to keep C-SPAN among their offering. From the Washington Post: “These senators are worried about the small cable network’s financial footing in this fast-changing environment, where much coverage of Capitol Hill comes through the politically skewed lens of cable news or other social media platforms. As chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, (Sen. Chuck) Grassley (an Iowa Republican) holds a wide swath of jurisdiction over the parent companies of these streaming networks, most prominently Alphabet (which owns YouTube) and Disney (Hulu + Live TV). Grassley’s bipartisan group is trying to win unanimous approval of a nonbinding resolution warning what could happen if these streaming networks don’t change their tune.” Here’s more: “Big Tech stumbles into a big brawl over C-SPAN’s streaming future.”

CUTS AT THE INDIANA HISTORICAL BUREAU, MORE: Indiana Capital Chronicle reporter Casey Smith had this: “Indiana agencies have laid off dozens of state employees in response to recently enacted budget cuts — marking the first such reductions since Gov. Mike Braun signed the state’s new, slimmed down spending plan last month. … Some of the deepest cuts so far appear to be at the Indiana Historical Bureau, a division of the Indiana State Library.” Here’s more: “50+ state employees laid off as Indiana budget cuts take effect.”

PROSECUTOR’S TAKE ON ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES CHANGES: Tippecanoe County Prosecutor Pat Harrington was making it clear this week that moves by the state to privatize Adult Protective Services and take administration of the program away from regional hubs – including one in his office – wasn’t something he was hoping to see. In a letter posted this week, Harrington wrote: “Please know that this decision was not initiated by our unit and does not reflect the dedication or passion we’ve brought to this vital work. … Unfortunately, the decision to restructure and privatize APS services was made at a level beyond our control.” The J&C’s Ron Wilkins had more about how things are shaking out: “Tippecanoe prosecutor: Change of Adult Protective Services vendors boils down to money.”

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