3 strikes and you're out: New VHR ordinance begins in South Lake Tahoe

With the new South Lake Tahoe Vacation Home Rental (VHR) Ordinance going into effect on Friday, December 22, 2017, the police department took the first steps in acting on one part of that new document, the three strikes and you're out portion.

On Thursday, South Lake Police Department (SLTPD) sent certified mail notices to permitted VHR owners who have had one or two upheld violations in the last 24 months.

That mail explained the City Council passed new ordinance requiring the revocation of VHR permits when a VHR has three violations in the previous 24 months. The notices also explain there are other ways a VHR could lose the permit, such as non-payment, underpayment, or late payment of Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT).

“We are sending these notices to VHR homeowners to ensure they are aware of the new requirements in the law,” said South Lake Tahoe Police Chief Brian Uhler.

The notice explained the recent authorization of enhanced VHR enforcement which includes:

1) A web monitoring service to focus on catching those who might try cheating on paying VHR Transitory Occupancy Tax;

2) Three additional full-time VHR enforcement personnel (now a total of six, full time VHR focused enforcement personnel).

The City of South Lake Tahoe is the only jurisdiction in the basin with strict VHR laws on the books, the only jurisdiction with many full-time enforcement staff dedicated to enforcing the rules, and the only jurisdiction in the region with a cap on the number of permitted homes....theirs is 1,400.

For a complete text of all the new VHR laws which become effective on December 22nd, 2017 go to the City of South Lake Tahoe’s website and click the “Vacation Home Rental” tab on the right side of the screen. Once on the VHR homepage, there is a link “Vacation Home Rental Ordinance.”

Alternatively, you can use the following link to view the complete VHR Ordinance at http://www.cityofslt.us/DocumentCenter/View/8908.

The VHR Enforcement phone number is (530)542-7474 and the VHR Permitting phone number is (530) 542-6011. More information is located at www.cityofSLT.us/VHR.