The Sonoma County planners have mentioned various possible limits on some Vacation Rental (VR) owners – such as proximity or density limits, or a day limit in annual renters. It is expected that the VR Ordinance proposal will be released in mid-January 2022 .
NONE OF THESE “LIMITS” HAVE BEEN PROPOSED FOR THE COASTAL ZONE. They have been mentioned for inland VR areas.
——Below is a Reply from Supervisor Hopkin’s Staff to a Coastal Owner’s Recent Public Comments —-
Dear: _________. Thank you for writing in to Chair Hopkins and the full Board of Supervisors. I know that a number of people have written in about Vacation Rentals and coastal restrictions. My understanding is that any change to overall policies would be a lengthy process, needing to be approved as part of the Local Coastal Plan and then implemented through further legislation.
A colleague asked Gary Helfrich, the Planner responsible for Vacation Rental work for clarification, and this is some additional information we received from him about the current countywide policy work that he is conducting. There would be potentially a business registration model, where basic operational conditions would need to be met, but they shouldn’t interfere with your operations if your contracted agency is renting in a responsible manner: [Planner’s comments:]
Consistent with the Coastal Act, there was no recommendation made to the Planning Commission to restrict Vacation Rentals in the Coastal Zone, but we can and will regulate operational behavior, such as noise, trash, etc. The reason for separating the program into a zoning permit and business license is to be able to apply uniform operational standards countywide with a business license, and regulate land use with a zoning permit in the inland area. It is also true that the business license would allow us to make sure everyone is paying their transient occupancy tax, which that are already legally obligated to do.
The business license program (proposed to be called a Vacation Rental License) would also add new enforcement tools, such as civil fines and non-renewal of licenses, for operators that consistently fail to follow the performance standards. We will also require property managers that can respond 24/7 to complaints from neighbors (same as inland). We are not recommending limiting proximity, concentration, or days of use limitations in the Coastal Zone. The staff report was explicit regarding this, but there seems to be a rumor circulating that we will be limiting coastal Vacation Rentals to no more than 90 days per calendar year.
The new ordinance would require that coastal vacation rentals pay their taxes, do not annoy their neighbors or create a nuisance, evacuate when evacuation orders are issued, and have a certified property manager. Under the current recommendation, any parcel with a legally constructed single family home can have a vacation rental in the Coastal Zone. — END