Supervisors open broad policy workshop on short‑term rentals; debate registration, safety, occupancy and Tulloch rules

Calaveras County planning staff brought the board an informational workshop on Jan. 28 to gather policy direction for a proposed short‑term vacation rental ordinance. Peter Mauer, special projects administrator, said staff had circulated a draft ordinance and an environmental document, received extensive public comment and wanted direction before drafting a revised ordinance for planning‑commission review.

Registration versus permit: A central question was whether the county should require a full permit process (with pre‑use inspections) or a streamlined registration tied to existing TOT registration. Property managers and owners — including representatives from Cedar Creek Realty and Murphy’s Vacation Homes — urged registration, arguing permitting would overwhelm county staff, create a bottleneck, and put existing hosts out of business. “We don't need to fix what isn't broken,” said Jamie Yarnell Porras, a longtime Arnold property manager, asking the board to preserve the existing TOT registration framework for most properties.

Safety, evacuation and enforcement: Several supervisors emphasized evacuation and wildfire safety on Highway 4. Supervisor Martin said visitors ‘‘leave on a warning’’ and urged that registration include evacuation instructions and confirmation that properties have functioning smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. County staff and the sheriff’s office said enforcement resources are limited and that a revised, enforceable noise ordinance would be a key enforcement tool.

Local contact and harassment concerns: Property managers supported the idea of a local contact for complaints but opposed a mandatory neighbor notification requirement that would publish contact details to all adjacent property owners, citing risk of harassment. The board discussed requiring a local contact located in the county, an approach used in other jurisdictions.

Tulloch/Copper area carve‑outs: The board discussed whether the Tulloch/Copper permit model — which contains specific boat/dock and parking rules for lakefront properties — should remain in force while the rest of the county moves to registration. Several supervisors said Tulloch’s special rules were adopted to address documented safety and boating conflicts and could be retained for water‑front cases.

Occupancy and enforcement practicality: Staff and the board discussed occupancy limits (for example, the draft's suggestion of two persons per bedroom plus two, with a maximum up to 12). Several supervisors and staff expressed concern that occupancy limits are difficult to enforce without an inspection/permit system and that enforcement will largely depend on complaint responses by the sheriff and code enforcement.

Next steps: Staff told the board it will consult further with the sheriff, local fire chiefs and the tax collector, revise the draft to reflect the board's policy direction, and return to the planning commission and then to the board. Peter Mauer estimated a planning‑commission review could take about a month and a return to the board in 2–3 months.