Board reviews regulations for short-term rentals in Idyllwild and Temecula Valley

Riverside County’s rules on short-term rentals of properties in Idyllwild-Pine Cove and the Temecula Valley Wine Country resulted in more than 500 cease-and-desist orders and $56,000 in fines in the first six months they were in effect, according to a report the Board of Supervisors will consider Tuesday.

The Transportation & Land Management Agency will present its semi-annual report on STR provisions specifically for mountain and wine-growing communities on Tuesday as part of the board’s policy agenda.

Highlights of the compendium include the 539 cease and desist orders obtained against property owners between January and July, as well as the 5,392 complaint calls, 866 on-site inspections and traffic tickets totaling $56,000.

TLMA officers are expected to answer their supervisors’ questions regarding the types of complaints, resolutions, and budget impacts with respect to the responses of Department of Code Enforcement officers and deputies, particularly after hours and on weekends.

According to the report, at the end of July there were 462 certified short-term rentals in Idyllwild-Pine Cove and 89 in Wine Country.

The cap for the Wine Country Zone, which currently has 998 residential units, is 105 STR lots. For Idyllwild-Pine Cove, it is 500.

The minimum age to apply for a short-term rental permit in Wine Country is 25. In the county’s other unincorporated communities, the minimum age is 21.

“The idea is to preserve the character of the communities,” TLMA Director John Hildebrand told the board when the caps were approved last November. “We set limits so that the character is preserved.”

A moratorium on the issuance of STR permits in the mountain communities and Temecula Valley was first implemented in September 2022 and then again last August to give the Planning Commission time to consider targeted changes to Ordinance No. 927. The commission’s final approval resulted in the matter being referred to the board for final consideration in November.

On October 18, 2022, the Town Council adopted Section 927, a comprehensive short-term rental regulatory framework for most unincorporated communities. However, Supervisor Chuck Washington and TLMA officials advocated exempting Temecula Valley and Idyllwild-Pine Cove from the ordinance until specific issues related to enforcement at each location are resolved.

The ordinance requires a 500-foot separation distance, meaning all newly certified STRs must be at least that distance from the nearest residential home.

The revised regulation will require “responsible operators” and “responsible guests” of short-term rental properties to pay fines if a property is deemed a nuisance due to parties or other disturbances. Previously, only owners could be fined.

The framework implemented testing requirements to confirm that STR operators understand and are able to comply with district regulations.

The regulatory apparatus established under Ordinance No. 927 focused on occupancy limits, noise protection, parking allocations, and other health and safety regulations for STRs in response to the increasing problems arising from unlicensed vacation rentals.

According to TLMA, there are more than 1,200 licensed short-term rentals in unincorporated areas throughout the county, with the largest concentration in the Temecula Valley and mountain communities.

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