Noise issues fuel review of SLT vacation home rental ordinance

Vacation home rentals are an everyday part of life in South Lake Tahoe, though during weekends and holiday periods their impact is much more noticeable. With the large number of visitors "living" in the area neighborhoods next to full time residents their impact has created tension over noise, trash and parking issues.

In the City limits there are currently 1,574 houses that have a permit to be operated as a vacation home. In comparison there are about 15-20% that number in vacation cities Santa Cruz and Napa.

The problems that South Lake Tahoe sees aren't any different than other communities. According to the California Vacation Rental Manager's Association, many cities have either banned vacation homes from neighborhoods (like Carmel and Hermosa Beach) or have created Vacation Home Rental (VHR) ordinances.

Other vacation communities have responded by allowing vacation rentals only in certain zoning areas while others have created a policy that restricts the maximum number of permits allowed to 20-30% of the homes in a neighborhood.

VHR income from collected TOT (Transient Occupancy Tax) revenues are over $2 million a year, so the parties involved need to come up with a program that needs to not only protect the neighborhoods but also welcome the visitors.

During Tuesday's City Council meeting, Police Chief Brian Uhler led a workshop on both the current program and proposed changes. He focused on several key areas, most of which would only work if enforced, and enforcement costs money.

Uhler proposed raising the current vacation home permit fees in order to provide a full time enforcement officer that would work ten hour shifts during the peak vacation home rental days, Thursday through Sunday.

His suggestions to the Council included making the following changes to the ordinance:

- Reduce the occupancy of vacation homes to two people per bedroom, not counting children age ten and under.
- Clarify the policy which currently restricts the number of overnight guests. It is too hard for officers responding to noise complaints to know which guests are overnight and which are just visiting.
- Hot tubs can only be used to 10 pm. Many noise complaints come from people outside in a hot tub with the jets on as voices are raised and carry. Outside music at the hottub will also be restricted.
- Possible parking permits issued to a neighborhood, but only if the neighborhood asks for the regulations as it will affect full time residents as well as vacation homes.
- Require bear boxes if trash becomes an issue at homes.
- Come up with a "hosted vacation rental" policy (such as rooms rented through AirBNB).

Most complaints stem from noise, followed by trash and parking complaints. Chief Uhler said that if changes are made to the ordinance which limit the number of people renting a home, then noise and trash issues should be reduced.

As one can imagine, many property managers were in the audience at the Council meeting, most giving their opinion on proposed changes. They said they don't think the complaints are enough in numbers compared to the amount of vacation homes in the community. They also said they felt they already do a good enough job in conveying the rules of renting to their clients.

One of Uhler's proposed changes created a different fee scale for vacation homes managed by a professional companies from those managed by absentee owners (would pay more).

The Council will take another look at the VHR program during a final workshop in order to get all the information available from locals, home owners and property management companies.