Board extends moratorium on short-term rentals in Thousand Palms

RIVERSIDE (CNS) - The Board of Supervisors today extended a moratorium on the issuance of short-term rental certificates in Thousand Palms and the nearby Coachella Valley community of B Bar H Ranch for another 10 months, to give staff time to draft regulations that address problems stemming from house parties and other activities.   

The board originally implemented the temporary moratorium March 11, but that suspension was due to automatically expire on April 25. The board's 5-0 vote Tuesday to renew the urgency measure runs to Feb. 28, 2026.   

County Transportation & Land Management Agency officials are expected to draw up proposed permanent regulations well before that time, so the interim moratorium could be rescinded anytime and replaced with a formal ordinance, following public hearings.

"We definitely need quite a bit more enforcement in that area," board Chairman Manuel Perez, whose Fourth District encompasses the Coachella Valley, said ahead of the vote.

Last month, 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.   

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 numerous 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 unclear what amplified regulations might be established to address illicit and legal STRs in the two communities.   

"We need teeth because a $500 or $1,000 fine is maybe not enough,'' Perez said. "Some of these parties have sponsors. Folks just keep coming in, and the parties continue. When the promoters are making $50,000 on one party, the fines don't really matter.''

The board implemented a slate of countywide regulations tied to STRs under Ordinance No. 927 in October 2022.   

Those 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 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.

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.