Sec. 4-204. - General.

A.

License and compliance required. A property owner must obtain a license through the application process established by the director prior to operating a vacation rental in the unincorporated county. A licensee must comply with the standards required by this section.

B.

Property Owner and Licensee Requirements.

The licensee must be a property owner, except if the vacation rental property is held in trust, in which case the trustee may apply for a license on behalf of the trust beneficiaries.

All property owners must be individuals.

Each property owner must consent to the application.

A property owner may only have an ownership interest in one (1) licensed vacation rental at a time.

Subsections 2 and 4 do not apply to a nonconforming vacation rental that was legally operating, or for which a land use permit application was accepted, prior to June 15, 2023.

C.

Term and Renewal.

A license expires one (1) year from the date of issuance and may be renewed annually in accordance with the license renewal process established by the director.

A license or renewal will not be issued if there is an open code violation associated with a vacation rental on the parcel. An open code violation means a notice and order or administrative citation has been issued and the violation has not been abated or the costs and civil penalties have not been paid, or both.

D.

Liability. Nothing in this section, including the issuance of a license, nor compliance with the provisions of this section, relieves a person from responsibility for damage to other persons or property, or imposes liability upon the county, its officers, agents, or employees, for damage to other persons or property.

E.

Other Laws and Permits. Nothing in this section eliminates the need for a licensee to comply with local, state, or federal law, or to obtain other permits, approvals, or authorizations required by this code or state or federal agencies.

(Ord. No. 6427, § III(Exh. A), 5-16-2023)