The 400-permit cap and the waiting list

§ 156.518 MAXIMUM NUMBER ALLOWED: "At no time shall the maximum number of residential dwelling units used as STRs exceed 400 (the 'cap'), except as otherwise set forth in § 156.519(A)(2)." The cap is town-wide, not per district. Renewing operators who file in the Nov 15-Dec 15 window and prove prior-year compliance are exempt from the cap; everyone else is subject to it. § 156.519(A)(2)(b): "Beginning January 1, STR applications may be considered, starting with the waitlist, for issuance of an STR permit if the cap has not been reached after current STR operators have completed their applications." HOW FULL IT IS: the town's own STR Public Portal (operated for the town by Deckard) displayed "399 Licensed Short-Term Rental Properties" when checked on 3 September 2026 — one under the 400 cap. WAITING LIST: the town's STR page states owners "can ask to be placed on the wait list for a short-term rental permit. Please send an email request to str@tompsc.com with the property address, owner's name and contact information (email and phone number), and what type of dwelling unit you desire to rent (entire home, accessory dwelling unit (ADU), or bedrooms within the home)." The town publishes no waiting-list length and no fee to join the list. There is no published guarantee that any permit becomes available in a given year.