El Dorado County supervisors to discuss suggested VHR ordinance changes

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors will hear a list of recommended changes to the Vacation Home Rental (VHR) ordinance at their next meeting on September 10. It is time certain on the agenda for 1:15 p.m., meaning it won't be heard before that time but it could be after.

After the VHR ordinance was approved, Supervisor Brooke Laine formed an advisory committee to evaluate it and recommend changes. The committee comprised representatives in Area 5 with VHRs - Meyers, Tahoma, Meeks Bay, Pollock Pines, and Strawberry.

Those recommendations will be discussed and scheduled to be voted on.

There are currently 798 active VHR permits in the Lake Tahoe Basin and 140 on the West Slope with 227 on the wait list (213 in the Tahoe Basin). Hosted rentals are also addressed in the new ordinance - 44 are in the Tahoe Basin and 98 are on the West Slope. The cap for VHRs in the Basin is 900, and there is a 500-foot distance between permitted VHRs.

Some of the proposed VHR ordinance changes:

Ages six and above allowed in a home are two per bedroom, max. Those five and under will not be counted toward the maximum. There would be no more +2 allowed.

Require Hosted Rental permit & inspection: They must be in a home and not a tent, tree house, or yurt, and the person renting the property must be staying in one of the bedrooms throughout the terms of the rental contract. The property must be advertised as such with a maximum of four people staying.

Updated safety standards for fire, etc. - New fire and safety standards include new inspections, updated fees, and results from inspections couple lower approved occupancy. Defensible space must be compliant. No outdoor wood fires will be allowed at any time, and homeowners will have to explain Red Flag Warning rules of no fire of any kind during that period.

Revised standards of operation (noise, occupancy, parking, events, signage, etc.) No hot tub use from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., no unreasonable noise will be tolerated, parking on impervious surfaces only - no dirt parking. The update increases sign requirements.

Increased fine amounts - For the first violation (or second violation for renting without a permit) within any 12-month period, the fine shall not exceed $1,500. For a second violation (or third violation for renting without a permit) within any 12-month period, the fine shall not exceed $3,000. For a third violation (or fourth violation for renting without a permit) within any 12-month period, the fine shall not exceed $5,000. For any additional violation within any 12-month period, the fine shall not exceed $5,000.

Revised enforcement processes - A permit may shall be suspended after a property has at least three violations occurring on separate dates within any 18-month period. The suspension shall be for six months.

Minimum 10-night rental requirement - When a VHR permit comes up for renewal the permit holder must prove they rented the home out for a minimum of 10 days or it will not be renewed.

Several of the complaints in the past have been concerning enforcement. The Planning Department has new staff that will be working weekends in the evening. There is now a new host rental company on board to handle listings and complaints as the County lost Host Compliance, and because of that, there is no data for the first six months of the year.

For July, there were 60 actual calls that officers handled and responded to the responding party. There were 29 emails, and one Ranch Marketing call (popular on the West Slope). As of August 28, to date, there were 33 actual phone calls that officers addressed, 32 emails, and 12 Ranch Marketing calls.

From February 1-August 22, the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office completed reports on 72 calls in the Tahoe Basin, two on the West Slope.

In the Basin, 31 cases with 31 violations were made, with 31 fines assessed. On the West Slope, 19 cases with 19 violations were determined with 19 fines assessed.

There is also a new VHR Hotline (530) 573-7999.

For more on the proposed changes and the rest of the agenda, visit https://eldorado.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx.