Legally Certified STRs list as of February 2024: Click Here
To report issues with STRs:
-24/7 STR Hotline: 951-955-2004. Email is code@rivco.org. If you don’t hear right back, or after 10pm:
-Sheriff non-emergency: 951-776-1099.
-Please follow up the next day with Code if you didn’t get a response. Make sure that your complaint is recorded.
2024 update: Ordinance 927 legalizes and regulates short term rentals (STRs) in Rivco’s unincorporated areas. There is a new 927 ordinance in town, it is 927.2. Our county supervisors passed a final version of 927.2 at the December 8 meeting. Enforcement for the new provisions began January 11, 2024.
A cap of over 500 certifications was put in place. More STRs than we have now. A density limit of 150′ was put in place for future certifications only. For many residents, that still allows an STR at each end of their property. Existing certifications are grandfathered and can be passed down to family members. Properties “shall” lose their certifications if they get 3 notice of violations in a 12 month period. Or 7 lifetime. Though calls for Code to act on violations of 927.2 continue, actual Notice of Violations from Code are very rare.
The 927.2 process: There were County meetings with discussions on 927.2. Idyllwild lost protections between each meeting. We noticed that the industry lobbyists stopped showing up in the later meetings yet it was in those final meetings that Idyllwild lost the most. Clearly, backroom deals were made between the Supervisors and the handful of people pushing to saturate our tricky residential areas with unsupervised tourism. The county passed the ordinance with an increase in the number of certifications. It passed with a carve out allowing new certifications for a specific group of owners. None of the protections that our town voted for at Supervisor Washington’s townhall were granted.
For now, we are focused on proper enforcement. The county STR enforcement team came up to meet with local group heads. There still is no locally based enforcement. Officers must drive up from Riverside City. Deputies come up from Lake Hemet, if they are available. Many reported violations are not even generating a call back from Code.
Solution groups from Idyllwild and Pine Cove are pursuing ways to bring balance to our community. Some tourism is fine but we are looking for a reduction of unsupervised overnight stays (STRs) in residential areas. To bring back some of the peace and safety of both residents and visitors alike.
As the Maui and Paradise fires have shown, wind and fire are a deadly mix. The Maui fire was reported traveling at a football field every 4 seconds. We have been fortunate so far that one of our big wind events has overlapped one of our big fire events. Evacuation is a major concern in our tricky residential areas. Fire experts have stated that evacuating on a big tourist weekend will be more challenging.
Residents, businesses and STR owners agree, a Cap and a Density limit benefit everyone. A Cap would limit the maximum number of certifications allowed in and around Idyllwild. For STR owners, it caps competition. A Density limit would space STRs out a bit so no resident is surrounded and make for safer evacuations. No one wins if Idyllwild loses it’s most precious commodity, being a beautiful and peaceful forest village.
At the last townhall with supervisor Washington, our town voted by a large margin, for a certification cap of 10%. A 10% cap is 357 certifications, using county numbers. The next highest vote getter was zone limits, a residential zone phase down for example. In third place was density limits. The winner there was 300 feet between STRs. None of these choices was implemented in the new 927.2.
Keep in mind that many small CA towns with tourism like ours have full residential bans or single digit caps. In the recent county working group meetings, we pushed for a fair compromise on Cap and Density. We did not get it. Weaker limits with exact numbers that the industry asked for prevailed. With county lifetime grandfathering of existing certifications, residents who are surrounded by STRs may never get relief.
Plans to increase peace and safety in our residential areas continue. The Supervisors are not the only way to achieve a positive result.
Statistics fall 2023 …
-474 legally certified STRs in Idyllwild, per the county. Increasing soon to 510 or so per the new county ordinance.
-589 STRs advertised as available in January 2024. Data from industry site AirDna.co.
-927.2 latest version, Click Here.
-847 is our noise ordinance, Click Here. The supervisors talked about weakening 847 in 2023.
-List of all legally certified STRs, by road, current Feb, 2024, Click Here.
-Report an “Unpermitted Business”, Click Here.
–589 STRs in the communities of Idyllwild (January 2024)
–Solutions that have solved the problem in surrounding communities
–Ord 927 and Owner Requirements
-Ord 927 suggestions for the county from Idyllwild’s Fire Chief
–Fun county map with parcel numbers. The county may list STRs soon.
ENFORCEMENT. Expect fire to respond quickly. If a sheriff is available, they will drive up from Hemet station. On our road, they have about a 50% show up rate. A call to Code will rarely result in a visit unless you stay on them. Residents report about a 20% call return rate – 2024.
–24/7 STR Hotline (Code): 951-955-2004 and code@rivco.org. Report code violations and the uncertified. You can email pictures, videos, screenshots of your Decibel Meter phone app. Backup code enforcement number is 760-393-3344. We are told that officers work noon to 10pm. Outside these hours, leave Code a message and call the Sheriff.
-Sheriff 951-776-1099, press 5. Report safety issues including trespassing, parties, aggressive behavior, vehicles parking in your driveway, etc.
–CHP 760-772-8900 is for road related. Road and driveway blocking by a vehicle on a road.
-Idyllwild Fire 951-659-2153, Pine Cove Fire 951-940-6900. Report outdoor fires. BBQs must be permitted in Idyllwild.
–Airbnb complaint form Airbnb.com/neighbors, if the property is on Airbnb.
2023 Timeline:
Residents were invited by the county to participate in county meetings to find solutions to STR issues in Idyllwild. Industry representatives in the meetings derailed proposed protections. One of the primary lobyists lives in a part of Idyllwild where STRs are illegal. The other lives in a city an hour away. The Planning Commission came out with a 927.2 draft and passed it at meetings in the summer that we attended and spoke to. The Supervisors took it up next and we lost protections between every meeting they had. It remains a mystery who was directing them to remove protections in our town. The Supervisors passed 927.2 ordinance in December. Enforcement of the new aspects of 927.2 start January 11, 2024.
2022 Timeline:
October 18, 2022 …
927.1 passed (again). Full enforcement takes effect Feb 14, 2023. We lost some protections and gained others. The 3 strikes rule will apply then. 3 violations of any county codes in one year is permanent revocation for that owner. Code Enforcement 24/7 hotline: 951-955-2004.
October 25, 2022 …
Moratorium passed: no new certifications until Sept 2023. Unless you had an application in, those certifications continue to be granted under the moratorium.
October 5, 2022 …
The Town Hall with Supervisor Washington and staff went well. We heard from our community and some offhill STR people. On the walls, participants were able to put a dot on their preferred solutions. The ‘have unlimited increase in STRs’ choices got very few dots. Top dot getters were 10% limit (no lower number offered) on STRs per homes, zone restrictions like an R1 (residential zone) phase out. 300′ between STRs and Hosted Only. Supervisor Washington offered support for both sides while saying residential communities were important.
September 14, 2022 …
Our Rivco Supervisors had their monthly meeting yesterday. They made a few changes to the much needed ordinance 927.1 before the meeting which included stripping out the inside safety inspections. At their meeting yesterday, more changes were made including an occupancy increase allowing 10 renters in a 2000 sqft cabin and signs no longer have to be visible from the street.
A 45 day moratorium was put in place delaying new certifications. During that time some kind of limit is being sought for Idyllwild and wine country. Industry groups are fighting this. We are asking for 7-10% Cap and a 3-500′ Density limit. Resident peace and safety depend on limits that will prevent a resident from being surrounded by STRs and limits on STRs on our narrow steep non-county roads.
July 27, 2022 …
At their July 26, 2022 meeting, supervisors once again refused to vote to implement 927.1, citing industry talking points while continuing to issue certifications in our town almost daily. They asked that the 2 person per bedroom limit and the signs requirement be removed. It was unfortunate. At least two of our county commissioners have come out and stated that they are against a cap in Idyllwild. We assume for county profit reasons. Palm Springs, well set up for tourism will be enacting a 7% cap as they feel “overwhelmed”. High STR density on small roads especially is causing dangerous situations. On all residential roads, high STR density causes ingress and egress issues and reduces our ability to safely evacuate in a forest fire. 85 people died in the Paradise fire, in a forest town like ours. Many died in their cars trying to evacuate.
We have heard from most of the town’s larger and also older businesses who are speaking out against our high STR density, citing issues housing workers and quality of life in Idyllwild. To lessen the negative affects on residents, we encourage a fair 927 county ordinance while encouraging responsible ownership and management of STRs. Many CA counties, cities and towns have solved their STR issues by phasing out STR businesses in their residential areas. We are working with the county to solve the bulk of the issues. If that remains fruitless, we will achieve reasonable limits through other means.
Air Idyllwild is a local business that supports hill residents and businesses. All know the value of keeping Idyllwild a beautiful, calm, mountain village. Most hill residents, businesses and STR owners support Cap and Density limits on Short Term Rentals (STRs). Most hill businesses are struggling to keep even minimal staff with the new, severe, long term housing shortage. Legal STR owners prefer to keep competition to a minimum. If you own an STR, as we do, please consider long term renting it or long term renting to an onside host for your STR. Residents surrounded by STRs are having safety and quality of life issues. Evacuation safety is a concern. A cap and density limit is a solution that all sides can agree on. We support our wonderful Inns and Motels. We support responsible STRs in safe areas.
Air Idyllwild and Airidy.com is owned by Captain Woody Inc. Info@Airidy.com.