Community concerns sparked the Paso Robles City Council to adopt a short-term-rental urgency ordinance that goes into effect on Feb. 13.
“Everybody thinks this is no problem; you live next door to a vacation rental like I do, that can sleep up to 11 people and can have 12 people during the day … the problem of it is they simply don’t belong in residential neighborhoods,” resident Linda Colwell said during the Feb. 5 meeting.
The city didn’t have any specific provisions to regulate the short-term rentals, although it started the process of drafting an ordinance in 2015 but deferred taking any action. There are an estimated 300 short-term rentals in operation within city limits, according to a staff report.
Short-term rental applicants will be required to notify the owners of all nearby properties about their intention to apply for a permit. Rental owners will have to provide a “good neighbor brochure” (noting the ratio of occupants to each room and a limit on parked cars) to all renters, who must comply with its requirements. The city will contract with a third-party hotline to notify rental owners about neighborhood complaints prior to involving the police department.
A discussion about short-term rental and inspection fees is slated for the next meeting on Feb. 19. Non-refundable three-year permits could cost $550, and inspection fees could run $75, according to a staff report. The fee will be based on what it would cost the city to process applications, notify neighbors, and contract the hotline.
The urgency ordinance also calls for a grace period to ensure that short-term-rental owners get the chance to apply for a permit by April 30. Δ
This article appears in Feb 7-17, 2019.