Short Term Rental Ordinance

The County of Santa Cruz is amending its local code to repeal the existing Hosted Rental and Vacation Rental Ordinances and replace them with a unified Short-Term Rental Ordinance. This regulatory overhaul aims to clarify definitions, establish countywide and zone-specific caps on the number of short-term rental units, and implement a dedicated response hotline for reporting violations. The amendments also impose binding obligations on online advertising platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo to ensure compliance by removing listings that do not meet county requirements. The project has been determined exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under the “common sense” exemption, as the changes are ministerial in nature and do not constitute a significant environmental impact. All actions are confined to Santa Cruz County, with performance centered in the City of Santa Cruz and extending countywide. No federal procurement elements are present in this action; it is purely a local land-use regulatory initiative with no contract value, pricing structure, or federal acquisition regulation (FAR) clauses applied. There is no identified contractor, no invoicing or payment system specified, and no procurement evaluation factors or award criteria defined. The County of Santa Cruz, through its Department of Community Development and Infrastructure, is both the applicant and approving authority, with Fernanda Dias Pini serving as the primary contact. The ordinance was approved on August 19, 2025, and submitted to the Clerk of the Board at the specified county address. No formal attachments, representations, certifications, or special contract requirements are included because this is not a service or supply contract but an administrative adoption of local land-use regulations.