MENDOCINO CO., 2/6/26 — At a Mendocino County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, county staff and supervisors debated an ordinance that would put restrictions on short-term rentals like Airbnb and VRBO in the inland part of the county.
Short-term rentals in the coastal region of Mendocino County are managed by both the county and the California Coastal Commission and already have ordinances in place, but similar rentals inland are not currently regulated by the county.
At the beginning of the discussion on Tuesday, employees from the county’s Planning and Building Services department gave a presentation on how the ordinance should be organized and what the regulations should look like. The department also presented feedback from community members, collected through county workshops and surveys.
Two planners from the department, Mark Cliser and Shelby Miller, said that based on the feedback, they believe the ordinance should include rules on enforcement and code violations, safety guidelines, and permitting requirements for short-term rental owners.
The presenters also clarified that the ordinance would not set restrictions for cities such as Ukiah or Willits, but rather would apply in unincorporated areas such as Anderson Valley, Covelo, and Hopland.
One of the crucial subjects focused on was neighborhood quality. Miller spoke about a requirement called the “good neighbor guide,” a rule modeled after Humboldt County’s short-term rental ordinance.
“This guide intends to protect neighborhood quality by notifying neighbors and guests of the stay requirements, safety information, and host contact information,” Miller said.
She said that a permit would be required for residents to operate short-term rentals, and along with that permit, they would be required to inform their neighbors of their plans.
“Under this approach, before a short-term rental may operate, the permit holder would be required to provide a good neighbor guide to adjacent neighborhoods within a specified distance,” Miller added.
Cliser noted that rental operators would be required to follow additional guidelines, including having adequate fire and safety plans in place.
Supervisors and planning staff also spent a great deal of time discussing code enforcement, specifically what should happen if a rental operator commits multiple violations. One of the options proposed was a three-strike rule for rental owners who are not compliant with county requirements.
“If someone is getting a lot of complaints, I am not opposed to three strikes. That feels like a commonsense thing that most business owners would understand and would want to be accountable for that,” said Supervisor Maureen Mulheren.
Julia Krog, the director of the county Planning and Building Services department, said in an interview that the department is still figuring out exactly how enforcement would be implemented, and what type of collaboration would be needed with the Sheriff’s Office and other agencies.
“The board wants a combination of local enforcement, code enforcement, the Sheriff’s Office, and host compliant platforms. Staff will be working with all of those agencies involved,” Krog said.
She said there are compliance services that the county could purchase to assist with code enforcement.
“What I’ve seen by looking at some compliance platforms, is there usually is a contract or a service you can purchase, and they will have a 24/7 hotline that someone can use if they are experiencing an issue,” Krog explained.
The Planning and Building Services department took direction from the supervisors and will draft an ordinance that will go through a California Environmental Quality Act review, then go to the county Planning Commission, and eventually to the Board of Supervisors for review and approval.
The next Board of Supervisors meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Feb. 24 in the board chambers at 501 Low Gap Road, Ukiah. Meetings can also be watched virtually via Zoom. More information, including agendas, is available at this website.