Tuolumne County Municipal Code Ch. 8.70 Inspection of Short-Term Rentals

Sections:

• 8.70.010 Definitions.
• 8.70.020 Inspection requirements.
• 8.70.030 Hotel/Motel/Resort exemption.
• 8.70.040 Inspection fee.
• 8.70.050 Operational standards.
• 8.70.060 Enforcement.
• 8.70.070 No duty to enforce.

Chapter, these words and phrases shall be defined as follows:
A. "Agent" means any person or entity authorized to rent the short-term rental on behalf of the property owner, including but not limited to, a property manager, professional property management company, and/or a local contact person.
B. “Enforcement Officer” means the Tuolumne County Fire Chief or their designee. C. "Guest" or "Guests" means the individual or individual(s) renting the short-term rental. D. “Hotel” means a building containing six or more bedrooms where overnight lodging without individual cooking facilities is offered to the public for compensation, primarily for the accommodation of transient guests unless the room is used as a single room occupancy. A hotel is not a motel or dormitory or boardinghouse.
E. “Inspection” or “Fire Inspection” means a fire and life safety inspection used to identify issues needing correction and an applicable amount of time to make noted corrections.
F. "Local contact person" means an individual who is personally available by telephone on a twenty-four (24)-hour basis and who maintains the ability to be onsite within sixty (60) minutes and who has access and authority to assume management of the unit. An agent or professional property management company that meets the availability requirements can serve as the local contact person. G. “Motel” means a building or group of buildings containing sleeping or dwelling units independently; accessible from the outside where overnight lodging is offered to the public for compensation, primarily for the accommodation of automobile travelers unless the room is used as a single room occupancy. H. "Professional property management company" means a licensed firm charged with operating a real estate property for a fee.
I. "Property owner" means the owner of the real property on which the short-term rental exists.
J. "Resort" means a self-contained lodging facility that provides onsite amenities and activities. K. "Short-term rental" means a single-family dwelling, a secondary dwelling unit, multi- family dwelling unit, studio, condominium, townhouse, duplex, guesthouse, bedroom within an existing residential unit, tiny home, cabin, multi-person dwelling, yurt, or similar structure, rented for the purpose of overnight lodging for a period of not less than one night and not more than thirty (30) days.

to maintain, operate or use a short-term rental in the unincorporated area of Tuolumne County without a Fire Inspection. All inspections shall be renewed every two (2) years.

motels, resorts, and other lodging facilities with existing annual inspection requirements are exempt from the inspection requirements of this Chapter, provided the lodging facility has a current and valid annual fire inspection report from Tuolumne County Fire Prevention. Single- family dwellings within an exempt lodging facility are also exempt from this ordinance at the discretion of the Fire Chief or designee,

provided the facility can demonstrate there are policies in place and enforced standards for guest safety.

inspection shall require the payment of a nonrefundable inspection fee as set forth in Chapter 3.40. Fees required by this article are in addition to any license, permit, certificate, or fee required by any other chapter of the Tuolumne County Ordinance Code.

rentals are required to comply with the following standards. Failure to comply with the standard conditions of this section constitutes a violation of this Chapter and may result in fines. A. Local contact person. A local contact person shall be personally available by telephone on a twenty-four (24)-hour basis and who maintains the ability to be physically present at the short-term rental within sixty (60) minutes of contact by Fire Department representative, the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office, or the guest(s), and has access and authority to assume management of the short-term rental to respond and remedy calls or complaints. Calls or complaints about physical conditions or circumstances that constitute an immediate threat to the public health and safety shall obligate the local contact person to immediately contact the appropriate law enforcement, fire, or other authority. B.
Interior posting requirements. Interior postings shall contain the contact information for the local contact person and emergency evacuation information. C. Smoke alarms. Smoke alarms, in good working order, shall be installed in accordance with the California Building Code and at a minimum shall be installed in each bedroom, and at least one alarm on every level of the short- term rental, including basements and habitable attics. D. Carbon monoxide alarms. In short-term rentals containing a fuel-fired appliance or fireplace, carbon monoxide alarms, in good working order, shall be installed in accordance with the California Building Code and at a minimum shall be installed outside each bedroom, on every level of the rental unit, including basements and habitable attics, and within bedrooms or attached bathrooms with a fuel-burning appliance, and shall be installed in accordance with the manufacturer's installation instructions. E.
Fire extinguisher. Each short-term rental shall be equipped with one five-pound fire extinguisher, type 2-A:10-B:C, installed at a readily available location near the kitchen. If the short-term' rental has more than one level, an extinguisher must be mounted within each level. Fire extinguishers shall be inspected annually by a certified professional to ensure the extinguishers are in good working order. F. Visible address. Each short-term rental shall have an address identification. The address identification shall be legible and placed in a position that is visible from the street or road fronting the property. Whenever the address on the short-term rental unit will not be clearly visible from the street or access road fronting the property, the address shall also be placed at the public street or access road in a manner which is clearly visible from both directions of travel on the frontage road or street. Address identification characters shall contrast with their background and conform to the minimum size requirements of the Tuolumne County Ordinance Code Section 15.20.040. A short-term rental in a condominium building that does not have an individual address may utilize the condominium building address and need not comply with these requirements. G. Defensible space. Each short-term rental shall meet all the requirements of Cal Fire’s defensible space program, PRC 4291, and Tuolumne County’s Hazardous Vegetation Ordinance 8.14.

enforced as provided for in Chapter 1.10 of this Code. Violations of this Chapter are considered

violations impacting health and safety and are not subject to the statute of limitations set forth in Chapter 1.10.120.A. The provisions of this Chapter shall be enforced by the Fire Prevention Division of the Tuolumne County Fire Department.

Chapter shall be construed as imposing on the County any duty to enforce the provisions of this Chapter, and the County shall not be held liable for failure to enforce this Chapter. (Ord. 3443 § 1, 2023).

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