Supervisors approve moratorium on short-term rentals in Thousand Palms
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) - The Board of Supervisors approved a 45-day moratorium on the issuance of short-term rental certificates in Thousand Palms and the nearby Coachella Valley community known as B Bar H Ranch on Tuesday.
The action will give Riverside County Transportation & Land Management Agency staff time to draft regulations that address problems stemming from house parties and other activities in the locations.
"Community members wanted to see more work done, specific to short-term rentals,'' board Chairman Manuel Perez, whose Fourth District encompasses the Coachella Valley, said. ``The moratorium is to, really, help give us time to think this through ... I expect some good work will be done from this.''
The moratorium on operating certificates takes effect immediately and is slated to sunset on April 25. However, the board has the discretion to extend the moratorium repeatedly going forward, utilizing urgency ordinances that require four-fifths approval.
"This is necessary for all of us in Thousand Palms and B Bar H Ranch, in order to have our quality of life, peace and quiet and security restored and protected,'' Janice Charney told the board prior to its vote.
Perez surmised that the upsurge in boisterous parties at vacation rental properties in Thousand Palms and the ranch area resulted from the "very firm'' short-term rental restrictions in place throughout Desert Hot Springs, Palm Desert and Palm Springs, all of which border the communities where the moratorium has been applied. The chair said the municipalities' no-tolerance regulations were driving celebrants into the unincorporated areas.
"I don't want it to get to the point where it's like the Burning Man,'' Perez said, referencing the annual desert festival that draws thousands, who are invited to shelve inhibitions in favor of ``self-expression.''
"I don't want something like that in my district,'' he said.
TLMA officials said there are 68 legally sanctioned short-term rental, or STR, operators in Thousand Palms and B Bar H Ranch, which is a 240-acre space in the Seven Palms Valley northeast of Interstate 10 and southeast of North Palm Springs. Thousand Palms is a few miles farther south, also in close proximity to I-10.
Since 2022, 35 properties in Thousand Palms have been ``flagged'' for hosting short-term guests without an STR permit, while 27 properties have been flagged in B Bar H Ranch. The latter has 37 legal STRs, while Thousand Palms has 31, officials said.
Department of Code Enforcement personnel have issued 38 cease-and-desist orders in both locations over the last three years, administering fines and other penalties to stop ongoing illegal rental operations, according to the agency. Most neighbor complaints connected to code and sheriff's calls in the area have stemmed from loud parties and roadway obstructions, including lack of parking, during hosted events.
It was not clear what amplified regulations might be established to address illicit and legal STRs in the two communities.
The board implemented a slate of regulations tied to STRs under Ordinance No. 927 in October 2022.
Anyone applying for a certificate must be at least 21 years old. The ordinance includes a 500-foot separation requirement, mandating that any newly certificated STRs be at least that distance from the nearest residence.
The ordinance included "responsible operators'' and ``responsible guests'' at short-term rental properties as being held liable for paying penalties in the event a property is determined to be a nuisance because of parties or other disturbances. Previously, only owners could be fined.
The regulatory apparatus implemented testing requirements to confirm that STR operators understand county regulations and are able to comply with them. Regulations focus on occupancy limitations, noise controls, parking designations, and other health and safety provisions for STRs.
Tighter regulations were established for Idyllwild-Pine Cove and the Temecula Valley Wine Country in November 2023 in response to increasing challenges with enforcement and to ensure that the ``unique character'' of the locations wasn't drastically impacted by rentals.
Short-term rentals are defined as residential dwellings leased for a maximum of 30 days and a minimum of two days and one night.