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Changes To Truckee's Short-Term Rental Program

To learn more about short-term rental information through the Town of Truckee, click here.

ORDINANCE, ANNUAL REGISTRATION + ENFORCEMENT

On October 13, 2020, Truckee Town Council unanimously voted to adopt a new Short-Term Rental and Noise Ordinance. The purpose of the ordinance is to create rules to address nuisance issues associated with STRs. It also creates the framework to register STR operators and enforce the new regulations. The full ordinance is available at townoftruckee.com/str.

The Town began the process of creating the new ordinance and registration program in early August in response to heightened community interest and concern regarding the impact of short-term rentals on Truckee’s residential neighborhoods. The Town received and considered over four hundred public comments during the ordinance development process, representing one of the highest levels of participation the Town has ever received on a single project.

WHAT DOES THE NEW ORDINANCE MEAN FOR STR OPERATORS?

Beginning in January, all short-term rentals are required to apply and obtain a new Annual Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate, pay a $400 non-transferable annual fee, adhere to new STR requirements and continue to collect and remit quarterly Transient Occupancy Taxes. Operators have until March 31, 2021 to register for their Annual Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate. Short-term rental requirements apply to a registered property at all times regardless of whether the property is being used as a short-term rental on a given day. Listed below are some of the key requirements of the new ordinance:

  • NOISE: Quiet hours are required between 10PM and 7AM.
  • TRASH COLLECTION: Each rental is required to have a weekly two-bin garbage service, and a bear bin will be required at each rental after October 31, 2021. Accumulation of trash outside a rental is prohibited.
  • OCCUPANCY LIMITS: No more than two people per bedroom plus two additional people are permitted, excluding children under the age of 13.
  • PARKING: On-site paved parking is required, and no parking is permitted on the street or in an unpaved area.
  • FIRE SAFETY: Working fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, visible address numbers and defensible space will be required at each rental. Truckee Fire Protection District may conduct an inspection once every three years to ensure compliance with these requirements.
  • BARBECUES AND FIRE PITS: Charcoal grills, wood-burning pits, bonfires and campfires are prohibited. Natural gas and propane grills and fire pits are permitted if set back 10 feet from any structure or combustible material.
  • SPECIAL EVENTS: Weddings, corporate events, commercial functions and similar events are prohibited unless such events comply with all STR requirements, including occupancy limits, parking and noise.

WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR STR ENFORCEMENT?

  • 24/7 HELPLINE: A 24/7 Short-Term Rental Helpline is available to report STR compliance issues at (530) 450-2430 or townoftruckee.com/strhelp.
  • DESIGNATED CONTACT PERSON: To ensure that complaints are promptly resolved, each short-term rental operator is required to designate a contact person who will be available by telephone to respond to complaints regarding the property. If a violation is reported, the helpline or Town staff will call the property’s designated contact person. The designated contact person must respond to the helpline by phone within 30 minutes and cause the violation to be resolved within 60 minutes.Following a citation, violation or fine for a period of one year, the operator will be required to designate a local contact person who is available to respond to the property in-person within 60 minutes. During this period, following contact, the local contact person will be required to be physically present at the rental within 60 minutes to resolve the violation.
  • PENALTIES: Both guests and property owners may be cited and fined for non-compliance with citations up to $500 per day for the first violation and up to $1,000 per day for subsequent violations. After three strikes, a rental’s registration certificate will be revoked and no new certificate will be issued for 12 months.
  • REGIONAL STAY HOME ORDER: At the time of press, the Greater Sacramento Region, including Truckee, is under a Regional Stay Home Order due to the COVID-19 emergency. This State order went into effect on December 11. When the Regional Stay Home Order is in effect in a region, hotels and lodging, including short-term rentals, can only offer accommodation for COVID-19 mitigation and containment measures, treatment measures, accommodation for essential workers or housing solutions, including measures to protect homeless populations. Information and updates regarding the Town’s compliance, enforcement and exemption processes for this order are available at townoftruckee.com/str.

NEW TAX RATES WENT INTO EFFECT JANUARY 1

On November 3, 2020, an overwhelming 84.5% of Truckee voters cast ballots in favor of Measure K, the local ballot measure that increased the Transient Occupancy Tax rate from 10% to 12% on January 1, 2021. The TTBID (Tourism Fee) will decrease from 2% to 1.25%, bringing the total guest levy to 13.25%. Please note that any rental night after December 31, 2020, must be assessed at the new total rate of 13.25% regardless of when the reservation was made.

The Transient Occupancy Tax that the host collects on the Town’s behalf is essential to providing the amenities and services that support the Town. Measure K will provide locally controlled funding to support and enhance general Town services such as implementing programs and incentives to meet community housing needs, preparing for wildfires and other natural disasters and working with partners to acquire and permanently preserve natural open space lands. Learn more about Measure K and the use of Transient Occupancy Tax funds at townoftruckee.com/measurek.

Should you have any questions concerning the STR Ordinance or Transient Occupancy Tax, please visit townoftruckee.com/str or contact Town of Truckee Transient Occupancy Program staff at (530) 582-5280 or tot@townoftruckee.com.