City clarifies Vacation Home Rental street parking rules

In December of 2017, the South Lake Tahoe City Council approved the latest Vacation Home Rental (VHR) ordinance based on months of workshops, testimony and compromise.

They found out during their meeting on August 21, 2018 that one portion of that ordinance cannot be enforced due to the Vehicle Code which allows for parking on streets.

This was brought to light during public comment at the meeting when local resident Andrea Olsen said the Community Service Officer (CSO) told her they could no longer enforce renters parking on city streets.

Some of the vehicle registration fees drivers pay go to allow their access to public streets and the ability to park on them according to acting City Attorney Sergio Rudin. Enforcement was adjusted to meet the Vehicle Code's requirements.

The number of cars allowed at a VHR are still regulated. A home's permit is issued based on occupancy rate and the number of cars that can park in the home's garage and driveway. The number of cars allowed at a home is still enforceable and part of the ordinance, but one of those cars could be found parked on the street.

For example, a four-bedroom home could have an occupancy rate of 10, but if there is only room for two cars to park on the driveway and in the garage, the occupancy is eight. More than two cars would still not be allowed at the home, street parking or not.

The only way street parking could be banned in a neighborhood is by the creation of a permitted residential parking program. That would create rules for all cars, residents and vacation home rentals included.