MENDOCINO Co., 11/6/23 — Mendocino County Planning & Building officials have planned a series of meetings to get community input on the potential development of an ordinance regulating short-term rentals, such as AirBnB and Vrbo, that will be taking place throughout November. The ordinance would cover essentially all of inland Mendocino County with the exception of the coastal region and the town of Mendocino, and public comment will be accepted up until December 28, 2023.
There are no current regulations in place for short term rentals in the inland zone of the county, although county officials have discussed potentially regulating these rentals on a number of occasions over the last several years, since such rentals have impacts on the housing market and tourist economy. A number of other nearby local California governments, including Sonoma and Marin counties, have implemented or considered stricter regulations on the vacation properties this year, and places such as New York City have also implemented caps and other restrictions.
Mendocino County officials will be collecting feedback from the public on a potential inland short-term rental ordinance at a number of in person meetings this month in Fort Bragg, Boonville, Ukiah, and Willits, but you can also submit public comment to [email protected] or attend virtually. Details about the meetings are including in the press release from the county below.
Here’s the announcement from the County of Mendocino:
MENDOCINO COUNTY TO HOLD COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INLAND SHORT-TERM RENTAL ORDINANCE
Post Date: 11/01/2023 10:00 AM
PRESS RELEASE
DATE: November 1, 2023
TO: CEO, DARCIE ANTLE
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
MEDIA PARTNERS
FROM: PLANNING AND BUILDING SERVICES
RE: MENDOCINO COUNTY TO HOLD COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INLAND SHORT-TERM RENTAL ORDINANCE
Online hosting services such as Airbnb, Vrbo, Expedia, and others allow individuals to rent out real property on a short-term basis, commonly known as short-term rentals. Short-term rentals throughout Mendocino County have implications for transient occupancy tax revenues, lodging options, housing stock, and neighborhood stability. Currently, the only short-term rental regulations within the County’s Zoning Ordinance are in its coastal regions, Division II (Coastal Zoning Code) and Division III (Mendocino Town Zoning Code). Despite these existing regulations, there are no explicit short-term rentals regulations for the inland areas of the County captured by Division I of the Zoning Ordinance.
To better address this Mendocino County Department of Planning and Building Services invites you to participate in hybrid and in-person community engagement sessions to learn about and discuss the Inland Short-Term Rental Ordinance process. These public engagement meetings will include an overview presentation, question and answer session, and details on how to provide comments. Planning and Building Staff will be available to answer questions. Public Meeting dates and times are as follows:
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2023 – 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Fort Bragg Veterans Memorial Building
360 Harrison Avenue
Fort Bragg, CA 95437
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2023 – 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Boonville Veterans Memorial Building
14470 Highway 128
Boonville, CA 95415
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2023 – 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Willits Branch of Mendocino County Library
390 E. Commercial St.
Willits, CA 95490
HYBRID MEETING THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2023 – 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Conference Room C
501 Low Gap Road
Ukiah, CA 95482
The public may also participate digitally in the November 30, 2023, meeting by sending comments to [email protected] or orally via telecomment in lieu of personal attendance.
FOLLOW THE LINK TO JOIN THE WEBINAR: https://mendocinocounty.zoom.us/j/88109888224
OR ONE TAP MOBILE: +16694449171,88109888224# US+16699009128,88109888224# US (San Jose)
WEBINAR ID: 881 0988 8224
In addition to these four community engagement sessions, Mendocino County Department of Planning and Building Services is requesting participation in a brief short-term rental survey. To participate in the survey, follow the link:
For further information on the Inland Short-Term Rental Ordinance process please visit the Mendocino County Department of Planning and Building Services project website at: https://www.mendocinocounty.org/departments/planning-building-services/ordinance-updates
You can also contact Mendocino County Department of Planning and Building Services via telephone at (707) 223-6650 for more information. Please submit comments via email to [email protected] or through U.S. mail to the following address:
Mendocino County Department of Planning & Building Services
Attn: Short-Term Rentals
860 N Bush Street
Ukiah, CA 95482
Comments will be accepted until DECEMBER 28, 2023, BY 5:00 PM.
