Cities and counties: ordinances: short-term rentals.

Existing law authorizes the legislative body of a city or a county to make, by ordinance, any violation of an ordinance subject to an administrative fine or penalty and limits the maximum fine or penalty amounts for infractions, to $100 for the first violation, $200 for a 2nd violation of the same ordinance within one year of the first violation, and $500 for each additional violation of the same ordinance within one year of the first violation. Existing law also sets specific monetary limits on the fines that may be imposed by city or county authorities for any violation of local building and safety codes that is an infraction, as prescribed. Existing law requires a city or county levying fines pursuant to these provisions to establish a process for granting a hardship waiver in certain cases. This bill would authorize the legislative body of a city or county, for the violation of a short term rental ordinance that is an infraction, to impose a fine not exceeding $1,500 for a first violation, $3,000 for a 2nd violation of the same ordinance within one year, and $5,000 for each additional violation of the same ordinance within one year of the first violation. The bill would define "short term rental" for purposes of these provisions to mean a residential dwelling, or any portion of a residential dwelling, that is rented to a visitor for 30 consecutive days or less, and would not include a commercially operated hotel, motel, bed and breakfast inn, or timeshare property. The bill would also make these violations subject to the process for granting a hardship waiver.