Board extends moratorium on short-term rental allowances in Thousand Palms

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) - The Board of Supervisors today approved a 45-day moratorium on the issuance of short-term rental certificates for Thousand Palms and neighboring B-Bar H Ranch to enable Riverside County administrators to review what actions may be needed to prevent negative impacts from future STR properties.

"Staff are doing their job. They're working on it,'' Supervisor Manuel Perez, whose Fourth District encompasses the locations, said prior to the 4-0 vote Tuesday. "We're going to move forward and do the work that we have to do."

The temporary moratorium on STR issuances within the two unincorporated eastern Coachella Valley communities is due to expire on April 17, though it could be extended. In the intervening period, Transportation & Land Management Agency personnel, along with Department of Code Enforcement officers, will assess conditions that are unique to the locations and how new STR requirements or enforcement measures might prevent "additional health, safety and welfare risks,'' according to TLMA documents posted to the board's agenda.  

Impacts from the upcoming Coachella Valley Music Festival will be one of the considerations.

In the two areas, there are a combined total of 59 STR properties, TLMA said.   

"Many of us believe the moratorium should remain in place as long as possible ... until a good STR ordinance is established,'' a Thousand Palms resident identified as Helen S. told the board. "Why can't code enforcement be available after 10 p.m. (when the parties start)? There needs to be real intervention and consequences that deter bad behavior."  

Another Thousand Palms resident, Jack P., said code enforcement officers ``are not dealing with bad actors.''   

"The problem hasn't been addressed,'' he said. ``You'd think they would want to fix the problem. Code has never said why they cannot fix the problem. People complain about STRs ruining their quality of life, and code is still not doing its job."

A moratorium established in April 2025 halted the issuance of all STR certificates in Thousand Palms and the B-Bar H Ranch. That suspension followed a surge in boisterous parties at vacation rental properties throughout the communities.

TLMA confirmed complaints continued in both areas after the moratorium was invoked, but the number over the last six months totaled less than 40.   

TLMA is currently working on amendments to Ordinance No. 927, the STR regulatory framework previously finalized in 2022. At the board's previous meeting, Supervisor Chuck Washington, who was absent Tuesday, expressed deep disappointment after hearing speakers address multiple instances of failed STR enforcement.   

"We don't seem to be moving the needle here. I get the same complaints from constituents,'' he said.

Short-term rentals are defined as residential dwellings leased for a maximum of 30 days and a minimum of two days and one night. Prior to the ratification of Ordinance No. 927, the county had a somewhat informal process for permitting short-term rentals. Officials said there are now roughly 1,100
certificated STR properties in unincorporated communities countywide.

Board members recognized that the majority of STR operators are law-abiding, but people leasing out some properties for illegal events had grown accustomed to flouting regulations -- and had not faced serious penalties to deter them from doing so.

Although the county maintains an overnight phone line that's staffed by a complaint taker, the most that can be done between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. is for the staffer to call the STR operator to alert him or her to complaints.

Deputies will respond to properties to investigate excessive noise and other disturbances, but Undersheriff Don Sharp admitted last month they have to ``prioritize'' calls. He said they will only go if they're not needed for something that rates higher, such as domestic violence.

Amendments that were under board consideration but not approved last month included a new provision enabling the director of the Department of Code Enforcement, head of TLMA or the director of the Department of Planning to declare an ``urgent circumstance'' that grants authority to immediately order the abatement of a public nuisance at an STR.   

The ordinance's proposed new language also specified that any ``responsible operator'' of an STR may be denied a certificate of renewal if he or she received three notices of violation in a six-month span, or five notices over the entire duration of an STR certificate.

The slate of amendments further called for an increase in the initial STR application fee from $740 to $1,040, and elevating the annual renewal fee from $540 to $750. The Planning Commission voted 4-0 in January to recommend that the board designate funds to expand the county's STR Enforcement Team.

TLMA is expected to return with new proposed revisions to the STR ordinance before the end of the year.