100% Compliance in the Black Hills
How Deadwood, SD Achieved Full STR Compliance with Rentalscape
At a Glance
Jurisdiction
City of Deadwood, South Dakota — Municipal Government, Planning & Zoning
Program Lead
Kevin Kuchenbecker, Director of Planning and Zoning, City of Deadwood
Context
National Historic Landmark city in the Black Hills, known for Western heritage, gaming, and a vibrant events calendar. Rapid STR growth led to Ordinance 2023, establishing how, where, and under what conditions STRs may operate.
Products
Rentalscape
Key Outcomes
100%
Compliance among all licensed STR operators
Cease-and-Desist
Multiple data-backed legal notices issued to non-conforming operators
Court-Ready
Booking history and platform data used as verifiable legal evidence
01 - The Challenge
A new ordinance with no way to enforce it
Deadwood, South Dakota is a National Historic Landmark set in the Black Hills, known for its Western heritage, gaming industry, and packed events calendar that draws thousands of visitors each year. As tourism grew, so did the city's short-term rental inventory, raising concerns about compliance, neighborhood character, and fairness for long-term residents.
In response, the city passed Ordinance 2023, a comprehensive framework regulating how, where, and under what conditions STRs can operate. The ordinance was the right move. But without tools to back it up, enforcing it was another matter.
City staff faced a familiar set of challenges:
Identifying violations
No visibility into live listings on Airbnb, Vrbo, or other platforms
Verifying complaints
Resident reports of illegal operations were difficult to confirm without substantial investigation
Legal standing
Enforcement actions required verifiable evidence that manual processes couldn't produce
"We get calls from time to time, 'I think my neighbor's renting their place.' This allows us to see if they are or not. It helps, too, if we go to court. We can pull this up and say, 'Well, you booked this room on March 2 for May and you told us that you didn't.'"
02 - The Solution
Visibility, evidence, and enforcement in one platform
Deadwood partnered with Deckard Technologies and adopted Rentalscape for short-term rental identification and monitoring. The platform gave city staff the live data and historical records they needed to turn ordinance language into enforceable action.
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Real-time listing detection |
Continuous monitoring across all major STR platforms lets staff identify new listings, verify activity, and confirm whether a property is operating with or without a permit, in minutes, not weeks.
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Booking history for court-ready enforcement |
Historical booking and pricing data gives staff verifiable evidence to support cease-and-desist letters, permit revocations, and legal proceedings, turning platform activity into a documented record.
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Map-based zoning visualization |
A user-friendly map feature overlays rental activity with zoning boundaries, making it immediately clear when a listing conflicts with local ordinances and enabling better-informed planning decisions.
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Automated annual permit reviews |
Complaint logs and Rentalscape data feed directly into the city's annual permit review cycle — helping staff determine whether conditions should be added to a permit or whether it should be revoked entirely.
03 - Results
100% compliance and a level playing field
The implementation of Rentalscape has significantly improved Deadwood's STR oversight. Today, every licensed STR operator in the city is compliant, a milestone that reflects not just enforcement muscle, but the fairness and consistency the program was built to deliver.
100%
Compliance among all licensed STRs
Multiple cease-and-desist letters issued
Backed by verified booking data and platform evidence
Streamlined annual reviews
Rentalscape data embedded directly into permit review workflow
"The most valuable features were the ease of the map feature as well as the historical information. It's a tool in the toolbox for us to continue to conduct the enforcement necessary to ensure that our rules and regulations, our ordinances, are in place and that property owners are compliant with their conditional uses."
Rentalscape has become an essential part of Deadwood's planning and enforcement infrastructure — enabling the city to uphold its ordinances and ensure STRs contribute equitably to the community.
"It's important to maintain a level playing ground amongst STR owners. Rentalscape helps us do just that."
— Kevin Kuchenbecker, Director of Planning and Zoning, City of Deadwood
04 - What's Next
Proof that 100% is possible
Deadwood is a small city with high standards, and they've proven that full compliance isn't just an aspiration. With the right tools, a new ordinance becomes enforceable, complaints become verifiable, and court appearances become winnable.
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