Board Extends Moratorium on Short-Term Rental Allowances in Thousand Palms

RIVERSIDE (CNS) - The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a 45-day
moratorium on the issuance of short-term rental certificates for Thousand Palms
and neighboring B-Bar H Ranch to enable Riverside County administrators to
review what actions may be needed to prevent negative impacts from future STR
properties.
  

``Staff are doing their job. They're working on it,'' Supervisor
Manuel Perez, whose Fourth District encompasses the locations, said prior to
the 4-0 vote Tuesday. ``We're going to move forward and do the work that we
have to do.''
  

The temporary moratorium on STR issuances within the two
unincorporated eastern Coachella Valley communities is due to expire on April
17, though it could be extended. In the intervening period, Transportation &
Land Management Agency personnel, along with Department of Code Enforcement
officers, will assess conditions that are unique to the locations and how new
STR requirements or enforcement measures might prevent ``additional health,
safety and welfare risks,'' according to TLMA documents posted to the board's
agenda.
  

Impacts from the upcoming Coachella Valley Music Festival will be one
of the considerations.
  

In the two areas, there are a combined total of 59 STR properties,
TLMA said.
  

``Many of us believe the moratorium should remain in place as long as
possible ... until a good STR ordinance is established,'' a Thousand Palms
resident identified as Helen S. told the board. ``Why can't code enforcement be
available after 10 p.m. (when the parties start)? There needs to be real
intervention and consequences that deter bad behavior.''
  

Another Thousand Palms resident, Jack P., said code enforcement
officers ``are not dealing with bad actors.''
  

``The problem hasn't been addressed,'' he said. ``You'd think they
would want to fix the problem. Code has never said why they cannot fix the
problem. People complain about STRs ruining their quality of life, and code is
still not doing its job.''
  

A moratorium established in April 2025 halted 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 confirmed complaints continued in both areas after the moratorium
was invoked, but the number over the last six months totaled less than 40.
  

TLMA is currently working on amendments to Ordinance No. 927, the STR
regulatory framework previously finalized in 2022. At the board's previous
meeting, Supervisor Chuck Washington, who was absent Tuesday, expressed deep
disappointment after hearing speakers address multiple instances of failed STR
enforcement.
  

``We don't seem to be moving the needle here. I get the same
complaints from constituents,'' he said.
  

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. Officials said there are now roughly 1,100
certificated STR properties in unincorporated communities countywide.
  

Board members recognized that the majority of STR operators are law-
abiding, but people leasing out some properties for illegal events had grown
accustomed to flouting regulations -- and had not faced serious penalties to
deter them from doing so.
  

Although the county maintains an overnight phone line that's staffed
by a complaint taker, the most that can be done between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. is
for the staffer to call the STR operator to alert him or her to complaints.
Deputies will respond to properties to investigate excessive noise and other
disturbances, but Undersheriff Don Sharp admitted last month they have to
``prioritize'' calls. He said they will only go if they're not needed for
something that rates higher, such as domestic violence.
  

Amendments that were under board consideration but not approved last
month included 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 specified 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.
  

The slate of amendments further called for an increase in the initial
STR application fee from $740 to $1,040, and elevating the annual renewal fee
from $540 to $750. The Planning Commission voted 4-0 in January to recommend
that the board designate funds to expand the county's STR Enforcement Team.
  

TLMA is expected to return with new proposed revisions to the STR
ordinance before the end of the year.
  

Copyright 2026, City News Service, Inc.