DOWNIEVILLE — The Sierra County Board of Supervisors wrapped up discussions on Tuesday for an update on the County’s Short-Term Rental Ordinance. The new ordinance, which was adopted in a split vote (Heuer, LeBlanc, Dryden for; Adams, Roen against), clears up some confusion in the permitting process introduced by the bill but also relaxes a few of the requirements for acquiring a permit. The point of contention between the supervisors was a change allowing Short-Term Rental (STR) permits to be transferred between owners upon the sale of a residence.

In the original ordinance, a new homeowner would be required to wait two years before beginning the permitting application, regardless of whether the home was operating as a permitted STR before the sale. Recently, a legally operating STR was sold in Sierra City to buyers who plan to use the residence as a vacation home and continue its use as an STR. Since the purchase, they have been lobbying the Board and Sierra County Planning Commission to make permits transferable and to transfer the permit from the previous owners to themselves retroactively. They successfully lobbied the Planning Commission, which adjusted the ordinance in time for Tuesday’s meeting. Permit transferability had not been suggested as a priority of the Board and had not been mentioned in a Board meeting until Tuesday.

Though the homebuyers’ request was granted, the Board did not agree that the permit on their home should be transferred retroactively, and the text of the ordinance did not account for such action. Therefore, the two-year waiting period required by the old ordinance must be followed. For any new homes purchased that have already been permitted for STR, the new homebuyer must submit a request to have the permit transferred within 120 days of purchase; otherwise, the 2-year waiting period goes into effect.

Arguing against transferability, Supervisor Lee Adams pointed out that the change cuts against the ordinance’s original intent: to limit the number of short-term rentals and encourage long-term rentals. Interestingly, Planner Corri Jiminez confirmed that at least one home permitted for STR was sold to be used exclusively as a single-family non-rented home. This datum could indicate the ordinance’s intent succeeding since, should such a home be immediately permitted by transference, it might garner a higher selling price and discourage permanent resident buyers.

Adams’ second argument against permit transfer was higher prices for rental homes. Adams believes the change puts sellers on an unequal footing and makes some properties worth more than others without actually being a higher-quality home.

Supervisor Lila Heuer argued in favor of transferability, believing that a house already operating as an STR immediately operating in the same function after a sale would do no further damage to the community. She also believes that STRs can be generally beneficial to the community and contribute to the economy in a way that long-term rentals cannot, both through renter support of local businesses and the increased taxes collected from the permitted property.

Though the ordinance update was passed, it is exceedingly likely that there will be yet more revisions in the coming years as its effects are more widely understood.

UPDATE: The vote taken by the Board of Supervisors on July 2nd did not adopt the ordinance, because a second vote on July 16th was required to put it into effect. That vote, which failed to pass the ordinance, is described in a separate article.