New rules for vacation rentals in SLT start December 21

After months of debate and community discussions, South Lake Tahoe will have a new Vacation Home Rental Ordinance (VHR) starting December 21, 2017, but don't expect the discussions to be over.

The City Council will continue to evaluate the ordinance and look at it during a meeting a least quarterly as they look at what is working and what still needs adjustment.

Main points of the VHR ordinance:

All homes rented out for less than 31 days must continue to have a permit from the City of South Lake Tahoe. These are not transferable. This permit number must be posted on all advertising and at the home.

There will be a cap of 1.400 permits issued for VHRs in the non-tourist core areas of the city. The 93 current pending applications will wait in line and be evaluated quarterly if complete. When the home comes up to their spot in line, and if they don't pass inspection, they have 45 days to make all changes. If not completed they go to the bottom of the VHR Waitlist.

Maximum occupancy - determined by two things, the number of paved parking places and the number of bedrooms. Two people per bedroom plus 4 people are allowed in a home. Studios allow a max of 4. There must be paved parking for 1 car per 4 people allowed. For example, if a home has four bedrooms and allows 12 people, there must be paved parking for 3 cars. The number of people allowed in a home is the lesser of these two numbers. Lets say a four-bedroom home has parking for four cars they are only allowed 12 people.

Use of all outdoor spas or hot tubs is prohibited between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Noise in violation of City or Tahoe Regional Planning Agency limitations is also prohibited during those hours.

No commercial vehicles are allowed to park at the VHR during a guest's visit.

Camping and sleeping in tents, travel trailers, campers or recreational vehicles are not permitted on the VHR property.

Bear boxes shall are required by July 31, 2018 in areas not banned based on size of the home. A home less than 2,500 sq feet needs a two-can box, 2,500 to 3,500 square feet is a three-can box, and greater than 3,500 square feet is a four-can bear box.

Owners of homes with a vacation home rental permit are required to inform guests of the requirement to comply with the City’s regulations; failure to do so may result in a citation to the owner.

What is proposed for vote during the Council's December meeting is a $1,000 fine to both the renter and the home owner for violations of any part of the City's VHR ordinance. Already part of the ordinance is the fact that a homeowner receiving three violations in a 24 month period will result in revocation of a vacation home rental permit.

Mayor Austin Sass voted against the new ordinance, saying he couldn't approve the 1,400 number. Not approving an ordinance would have kept the current one in affect which had no cap on it. Sass said the new VHR ordinance gave no relief to locals.

Mayor Pro Tem Wendy David rebutted Sass's comment. "I see that going from a warning to a citations that will bring some relief to the local community," said David. "That is the main complaint that we’ve heard. I hope the community does see that this ordinance is paying attention to their concerns. Homes not in line with enforcement will lose their permit."

"I am glad we’re taking action and addressing issues we’ve been discussing at length," said Council member Jason Collin.

Violations of the City Code may be reported by anyone to the City’s Vacation Home Rental Enforcement Phone Number at (530) 542-6100. For additional information on the City of South Lake Tahoe’s Vacation Home Rental program, visit www.CityofSLT.us/VHR.