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Ordinance Update and Public Review Process
The City’s Short-Term Rentals (STR) Ordinance was adopted by the City Council on October 13, 2021 (Ordinance No. ORD 2021-011).
On August 9, 2022, the Council adopted minor amendments to limit the number of non-hosted STRs within the City and to provide code enforcement regulations (Ordinance No. ORD-2022-008).
On April 27, 2023, following community engagement and based on Council direction, the Planning Commission held a public hearing and voted to recommend that the Council adopt amendments to the Ordinance to address technical changes and add new and revised definitions and policies.
On June 6, 2023, the Council considered the proposed amendments and directed staff to make several changes to the Ordinance, to be brought back in two parts for second reading and adoption.
On June 20, 2023, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. ORD-2023-008 allowing a one-time 31-day grace period for Permit holders whose Permits were issued within the first year of the Ordinance and expired without a renewal application being timely submitted. The Ordinance also included language to clarify that in the event that any non-hosted Short-Term Rental Permit was issued for a property within 1,000 feet of an expired non-hosted Permit that is subsequently renewed, both STRs would be able to retain their Permits regardless of the distance between them.
On July 25, 2023, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. ORD-2023-011 to address technical changes and add new and revised definitions and policies, and to add the following amendments to the Chapter 20-48, Short-Term Rentals:
Allow Permit holders a 30-day grace period following the expiration of their Permit to submit a renewal application;
Prohibit outdoor burning at non-hosted STRs, with the exception of natural gas and propane appliances (such as BBQs, grills, heaters and fire pits);
Clarify that outdoor burning regulations do not apply to hosted STRs;
Allow a transfer of an STR Permits, under certain conditions, to a spouse or domestic partner;
Allow only one Non-Hosted STR Permit per property owner, but allow those with existing multiple STR Permits to retain and renew those Permits;
Require applicants for Hosted STR Permits to provide an affidavit verifying that the property is their principal residence;
Provide a tiered penalty schedule for violations, with one tier for minor violations and one for major violations, with a higher fine amount for major violations;
Require a fine for the first penalty for TOT/BIA violations and for operating an STR without a Permit – no warnings for these violations;
Clarify that after a third citation the Permit will be revoked and the property owner will be permanently ineligible for future consideration of a Short-Tern Rental Permit on the property that was the subject of the revocation; and
Clarify that the City will not be accepting any new Non-Hosted Short-Term Rental Permit applications, and reduce the Citywide cap on Non-Hosted Short-Term Rentals through attrition as permits are vacated or revoked
View Public Input from the September - December 2022 Short-Term Rental Survey
- Survey Results published Jan. 10, 2023. All valid responses collected from September to December 2022
- Report on outreach efforts and survey results
Public Meetings
- Nov. 14, 2022 - Virtual Community Meeting
- Nov. 16, 2022 - Santa Rosa Tourism Business Improvement Area Meeting
- Dec. 12, 2022 - Virtual Community Meeting (Part 1 | Part 2)
- Jan. 10, 2023 - Economic Development Subcommittee **Meeting Canceled**
- April 27, 2023 - Planning Commission Public Hearing
- June 6, 2023 - City Council Public Hearing
- June 20, 2023 - City Council second reading/adoption (consent, part 1 of 2)
- July 25, 2023 - City Council second reading/adoption (consent, part 2 of 2)
View Past Public Meetings and Engagement Results Related to the Short-Term Rentals Ordinance
- August 9, 2022, City Council Meeting
- May 17, 2022: Economic Development Subcommittee
- October 12, 2021 City Council Meeting
- September 29, 2021 Short-term rental industry focused virtual public meeting
- September 14, 2021 Economic Development Subcommittee
- August 10, 2021 Economic Development Subcommittee
- Community input was collected through a survey in August of 2021 to help inform the Short-Term Rental Ordinance. The data and response compilation may be viewed and downloaded here.