Board to Weigh Revisions to Short-Term Rental Ordinance, Lifting Moratorium

RIVERSIDE (CNS) - The Board of Supervisors is slated today to consider
amendments to Riverside County's short-term rental ordinance, including
strengthening compliance provisions, raising fees for certificates and ending a
nearly yearlong moratorium on permits in Thousand Palms and the nearby
community of B Bar H Ranch.
  

``The proposed minor revisions to the county's Short-Term Rental
Ordinance are intended to provide additional protections and safeguards to
communities from potential impacts related to STRs, while also providing a
pathway for homeowners to operate an STR,'' according to a Transportation &
Land Management Agency statement posted to the board's agenda.
  

The board implemented a slate of countywide regulations tied to STRs
under Ordinance No. 927 in October 2022. The ordinance has been generally
untouched since that time.
  

Short-term rentals are defined as residential dwellings leased for a
maximum of 30 days and a minimum of two days and one night. Prior to the
ratification of Ordinance No. 927, the county had a somewhat informal process
for permitting short-term rentals, which were not closely tracked.
  

Officials said there are now roughly 1,100 verified and certificated
STR properties countywide.
  

The amendments under board consideration include a new provision
enabling the director of the Department of Code Enforcement, head of TLMA or
the director of the Department of Planning to declare an ``urgent
circumstance'' that grants authority to immediately order the abatement of a
public nuisance at an STR.
  

The ordinance's proposed new language also specifies that any
``responsible operator'' of an STR may be denied a certificate of renewal if he
or she received three notices of violation in a six-month span, or five notices
over the entire duration of an STR certificate.
  

Another amendment stresses that STRs cannot be used for hours-long
commercial events, especially any that increase occupancies beyond the maximum
permitted, which vary according to property size and location. The changes also
mandate that all trash accumulating at an STR ``not be stored within public
view'' and be retrieved by an ``authorized waste hauler.''
  

When an operator receives a complaint notification, the party must
correct ``the violation promptly'' and be available to confer with a code
enforcement officer, sheriff's deputy or other appointed authority within an
hour to demonstrate good faith in making the required correction, according to
the proposed new language.
  

The slate of amendments further calls for an increase in the initial
STR application fee from $740 to $1,040, and elevating the annual renewal fee
from $540 to $750, most of which will go into a revenue account that helps pay
for code enforcement investigations. The Planning Commission voted 4-0 last
month recommending that the board find funds to expand the county's STR
Enforcement Team.
  

The last TLMA recommendation to the board concerns the moratorium
established in April 2025 halting the issuance of all STR certificates in
Thousand Palms and the B Bar H Ranch. That suspension followed a surge in
boisterous parties at vacation rental properties throughout the communities.
  

TLMA officials said about 2.8% of residences in Thousand Palms are
STRs, while 11% in the ranch subdivision were apparently being used for short-
term rentals, though that figure hasn't been verified. Officials confirmed
complaints continued in both areas after the moratorium was invoked, but the
number over the last six months totaled less than 40.
  

``The number of complainants in both communities appear to represent a
smaller subset of residences,'' according to an agency statement. ``More
importantly, the number of properties which are subject to the complaints is a
small number.''
  

TLMA is recommending an end to the moratorium, effective Feb. 28.
  

Countywide, anyone applying for a certificate must be 21 years old.
The ordinance includes a 500-foot separation requirement, mandating that any
newly certificated STRs be at least that distance from the nearest residence.
  

The ordinance mandates that ``responsible operators'' and
``responsible guests'' at short-term rental properties can be held liable for
paying penalties in the event a property is determined to be a nuisance because
of parties or other disturbances.
  

Other regulations focus on occupancy limitations, noise controls,
parking designations and  health and safety requirements.
  

Tighter regulations were established for Idyllwild-Pine Cove and the
Temecula Valley Wine Country in November 2023 in response to increasing
challenges with enforcement, and to ensure that the ``unique character'' of the
locations wasn't drastically impacted by rentals.