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San Bernardino council votes 4–3 to ban short‑term rentals in residential zones after heated debate
Summary
After hours of public comment and a staff presentation laying out regulation and ban options, the San Bernardino City Council voted 4–3 to adopt an ordinance (MC16‑61) banning short‑term rentals in residential zones, citing public safety, evacuation access and enforcement capacity concerns; opponents urged regulation to protect local hosts’ livelihoods.
The San Bernardino City Council on April 15 voted 4–3 to adopt an ordinance (MC16‑61) banning short‑term rentals (STRs) in residential zones after a long public hearing that drew neighborhood residents, STR operators and advocates.
Staff framed three options: establish a regulatory program with registration, annual fees and inspections; ban STRs in residential zones; or take no action. Staff reported roughly 108 online listings citywide and estimated potential Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) recovery of about $324,000 annually if the city collected TOT on STR activity. Staff also described a vendor service (identified in materials as Decker/Deckard/DeCA Technology in the record) that can map and monitor listings for an approximate contract cost to the city in the mid‑five figures (staff cited about $16,500 for an initial vendor engagement). Staff said enforcement could require dedicating code enforcement resources and noted CEQA findings that an ordinance…
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