Board of Supervisors revamps vacation rental regulations and timeshare rules

New business license program and exclusion zones

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has voted to modify vacation rental regulations, establish caps and exclusion zones for vacation rentals, and define fractionally owned housing as timeshares. First, a business license program was created to standardize operating requirements for vacation rentals, shielding neighbors from nuisances. Secondly, caps and exclusion zones were placed in specific neighborhoods in the first, fourth, and fifth supervisorial districts, aiming to reduce vacation rental over-concentration. Lastly, during the afternoon session, the zoning code was amended to clarify regulations for timeshares and short-term use of fractionally owned residential properties.

Key points of the business license program

The business license program will:

Limit vacation rental occupancy based on the number of bedrooms or septic capacity, capping guest numbers at 12 regardless of the home's size.

Establish parking area standards and restrict on-street parking to a single space.

Set limits for noise and light.

Mandate a written evacuation plan and require evacuation upon warning issuance.

Demand complaint resolution within 30 minutes in the evening and within one hour during the day.

Oblige vacation rental properties to meet defensible space requirements.

Prohibit outdoor solid fuel burning.

Notify neighbors when renewing the annual Vacation Rental License.

Allow only one license per person and restrict ownership to natural persons or family trusts, barring LLC or corporate ownership.

By merging with Permit Sonoma's complaint hotline, launched last year, the license program offers additional enforcement tools that speed up enforcement and allow proportional measures for violations.

Fast-tracked rezoning for caps and exclusion zones

With the Vacation Rentals Moratorium set to expire on May 9, the Board of Supervisors voted to expedite rezoning, implementing caps and exclusion zones in neighborhoods with a high concentration of vacation rentals.

Communities receiving new caps on vacation rental permits include Fitch Mountain outside Healdsburg, Hughes Chicken Colony near Sonoma, and Austin Creek near Guernewood, among others.

For more information, including an interactive map displaying voted zoning changes, visit the Vacation Rental Program webpage.

"With these new regulations, cap and exclusion zones, we're mitigating the impacts of short-term rentals on neighborhoods adversely affected by vacation rentals in Sonoma County," said Supervisor Chris Coursey, chair of the Board of Supervisors.

After today's vote, the item will return for a second reading before the board. If approved, it would take effect 30 days later.

Future plans and community outreach

In late summer 2023, neighborhood caps and potential caps for unmapped communities in 2020 will be reexamined.

Countywide community outreach meetings will commence with sessions in Guerneville, Monte Rio, and Forestville, scheduled for July and August. During these meetings, Permit Sonoma will gather neighborhood-level feedback and tailor restrictions accordingly. This feedback will help determine if further adjustments are necessary.

Timeshare regulations

The board also voted to define the short-term use of fractionally owned residences as timeshare use, allowed only within the recreation and visitor-serving ("K") zoning district. This preserves housing for long-term residents and limits commercial, visitor-serving land uses in residential areas.

"We're not banning timeshares," said Coursey. "We're recognizing them as commercial enterprises that belong in specific visitor-serving areas."