Vacation Home Rental showdown set

Whether Douglas County continues to operate a vacation home rental program is up for debate at an Oct. 13 meeting held at the Hard Rock Casino in Stateline.

County commissioners and members of the Vacation Home Rental Advisory Board will meet in the Revolution Room.

A proposal to repeal the ordinance was raised by County Commissioner Walt Nowosad in July and delayed until October when the county could meet at Lake Tahoe.

Stateline resident Linda Dengler has been campaigning to get VHRs out of the residential neighborhoods for months.

The VHR advisory panel has been conducting hearings on Tier 3 vacation rentals and working on changes they’d like to see in the ordinance since their formation last year.

Even if commissioners vote to repeal the ordinance, it will be another month before that can happen, at least.

The meeting will be live-streamed through the county’s YouTube Channel and a Zoom component will be offered for those who cannot be physically present.

The meeting will include:

An update from Douglas County staff on the status of the current VHR program and activities of the Vacation Home Rental Advisory Board.

A discussion regarding the possible elimination of the program or other modifications to the program to significantly limit or eliminate permits for certain neighborhoods in the Tahoe Township.

If staff is not directed to eliminate the program, the boards will discuss and provide direction regarding possible changes to the code.

Douglas County’s VHR program is administered by a VHR Program Manager, two full-time code enforcement officers, two deputy sheriffs, and two support staff. There are 532 active VHR permits in the Lake Tahoe Township. VHRs are currently not permitted outside of the Tahoe Township. The program is projected to generate over $800,000 in fees and over $4 million in Transient Occupancy Tax and Tourism Surcharge Tax annually. Taxes generated from the program are used to support a variety of services in the Parks and Recreation Department. Fees collected from the program are used to offset the administrative functions including enforcement, investigations, and permitting. On average the VHR program receives five to six complaints per week.

Vacation Home Rentals or “Short Term Rental” is defined in Douglas County as one dwelling unit, or a portion of a dwelling unit, including either a single-family attached unit, rented for the purpose of overnight lodging for a period of not less than a day and not more than 28 days other than ongoing month-to-month tenancy granted to the same renter for the same unit pursuant to NRS Chapter 118A.

Information on how to participate in the meeting and meeting materials can be found by visiting the Douglas County website at www.douglascountynv.gov and clicking on Agendas and Minutes. The meeting materials will be posted at least three days prior to the meeting.