Board of Supervisors moves forward with strict short-term rental regulations

SALINAS >> The Monterey County Board of Supervisors this week voted to start amending the county code when it comes to short-term vacation rentals, including instituting a licensing fee of $965.

The amendments passed by a 3-2 margin at Tuesday’s meeting, clarifying what is considered a vacation rental and setting limits for maximum occupancy

The amendments will add stringent regulations for short-term rentals in unincorporated areas of Monterey County, and neighborhoods in Carmel Valley and Carmel Highlands will join Big Sur in virtually banning the short-term rentals from residential areas.

Supervisors Mary Adams, Glen Church and Wendy Root Askew were in the majority, while Supervisors Luis Alejo and Chris Lopez voted no. Lopez called the plan “unrealistic” and suggested that only millionaires and large corporations would benefit from the amendments.

The county defines a vacation rental as the use of residential property for transient lodging, where the term of occupancy is 30 days or fewer. The process is akin to an Airbnb reservation, but typically handled by a homeowner.

For years, residents have complained that short-term rentals are taking over available housing for the community and bringing in large groups of people who take up parking space and can often be noisy or disruptive in the evenings.

The housing issue has grown to where many of the short-term rental owners are large companies or out-of-state owners who have no connection to Monterey County.

Dozens of county residents attended Tuesday’s meeting and spoke during public comment. Most of the comments supported fewer short-term vacation rentals and more regulation from the county.

Several people hailing from Carmel Valley neighborhoods were also in attendance, claiming that they’ve seen the situation grow out of hand where there are multiple short-term rentals on a single road.

“When we moved here, we thought it was going to be a community not a commercial zone,” said Marlene Martin, from Carmel Valley and a member of the Carmel Valley Association. “This is not what we want. Let’s keep our neighborhoods for people, who desperately need affordable rentals.”

There is also a difference between a homestay, where the owner occupies at least one bedroom while the occupant stays; a limited vacation rental, where the space is not rented more than three times a year; and a commercial vacation rental, that is rented out more than three times a year. All of the vacation rental types require a vacation rental operational license, but commercial rentals also require a use permit or a coastal development permit.

These new regulations are mostly for unincorporated areas of Monterey County, and commercial rentals are not allowed in most of the county. Staff clarified that Pebble Beach would still be allowed to operate commercial rentals

Adams, who has championed the proposal for years, said she was “delighted by the outcome.”