Change to South Lake Tahoe arts and craft show ordinance in the works

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Temporary craft shows in South Lake Tahoe have been regulated under an ordinance since 1998, with the last updates to the rules in 2013 and 2015. On Thursday, the Planning Commission will hear from staff about proposed changes to the temporary arts and craft show code before it goes before City Council.

In 2013, City Council heard from local merchants about losses in income every weekend when the craft shows were spread throughout South Lake Tahoe. They'd often be at the TJ Maxx parking lot, the American Legion, and South Tahoe Middle School. They would also be across the state line in front of the then-Horizon Casino.

Merchants and locals told the then-Council the constant craft shows brought a look and feel to town that maybe looked less desirable than goals, and the type of items purchased took away sales from the brick-and-mortar stores that have to try and succeed year-round.

Council voted to limit items sold at the shows to handcrafted items only. The appearance and quality of merchandise criteria added to the ordinance satisfied some of the critics as individualized specialties couldn't be found at stores, and cleaned up a look that sometimes people felt was "trashy." They also required a temporary business license so they too were having to pay taxes like stores.

Organizers of the temporary shows were responsible for enforcement.

In 2013 the City Council amended the ordinance to limit the total number of shows to ten for the 2014 season, and eight for the 2015 season and limited the number of arts and crafts shows to be held at any one site during each summer season to four. The amendments at that time also added conditions for site size, booth setup, access, sanitary facilities, parking, and ingress/egress.

Since then there have been very few arts and crafts fairs in South Lake Tahoe, and in fact, every year from 2016 to 2019 the City only received and issued one temporary arts and craft permit. In 2020, the city did receive and issue a permit to Artist to You LLC, the company that had the permits in previous years, to again hold an arts and crafts fair at the South Tahoe Middle School, however, due to COVID-19 the temporary arts and crafts show did not occur.

No applications have been received since 2020. The Council discussed in March that perhaps the rules kept organizers away, but it is unknown if that was the cause. They said it would be better regulated through City Code Section 6.55.230 Special Events and Temporary Uses which they had just updated. The previous fee of $673 per arts and craft show is proposed to be amended to $220 for a minor event, $437 for a major, and free if held by a non-profit where there is no entrance fee to the public.

The American Legion once held several of the annual arts and crafts shows. At the time of the last ordinance changes, there were public comments that the limit on craft shows would affect their income drastically. They have not received any interest from organizers to hold shows in its parking lot for several years.

The Planning Commission meeting on Thursday, May 11 starts at 3 p.m. at City Hall at the airport, and the public can also participate on Zoom. The agenda and Zoom link can be found HERE.

They will hear a presentation and are expected to vote on the repealing of South Lake Tahoe City Code Section 6.10.450 (Temporary Arts and Craft Shows).

A redlined proposed code change can be found HERE. This new ordinance will only be for carnivals and no rules are being proposed around arts and craft shows except for the required completion of a permit under City Code Section 6.55.230 for special events and temporary uses.