The City Council is tackling restrictions on bed-and-breakfast rentals for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Some B&Bs have caused an uproar in their communities.

But some Council members are describing an updated bill as “;over restrictive”; for bed-and-breakfast owners.

“;We're stuck with this issue,”; said Councilman Rod Tam, chairman of the Zoning Committee. “;Basically we have to resolve this ... the city administration needs to find some teeth on how to regulate this.”;

The major changes to the bill, which has been idle for several months, include requiring owners to provide more information in their advertisements, such as their address, and establishing ground rules for renters, like banning guests between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.

It also proposes a 500-foot separation between vacation rentals. That could be problematic for certain communities that have clusters of rentals. Five hundred feet roughly equals the size of 1-1/2 football fields.

Other changes include prohibiting a kitchen or any cooking in a separate unit and requiring owners to have a smoke detector and fire alarm in every room. The City Council will take further public testimony at a meeting on Oct. 15.

“;We would like to adopt some more stringent regulations so we can more successfully enforce the code that exists,”; said Henry Eng, director of the city Department of Permitting and Planning, which oversees enforcement of these units. “;I think there's some sections we can agree on and some others we need to look into.”;

In 1989, after tremendous public outcry, the City Council decided not to issue permits for more bed and breakfasts.

“;I remember in 1989 when they told us there won't be any more permitting of bed and breakfasts,”; said Chris Godwin, a North Shore resident, one of the dozens of residents that testified in yesterday's meeting. “;I feel like we're being reneged on.”;

But others who own rental units say there is a widespread misperception that these homes are noisy and that homeowners are capitalizing illegally.

“;We're happy to see the bill go forward,”; said Angie Larson, president of the Hawaii Vacation Rentals Owners Association. “;We are ready to take on more regulation as long as it's fair and reasonable.”;