Frequently Asked Questions about Short-Term Rentals
FAQs
When did the Short-Term Rental Ordinance go into effect?
• Adopted by council on November 6, 2023. The ordinance will go into effect on
December 6, 2023.
What is a short-term rental?
• A short-term (somemes called vacaon) rental is dened as a dwelling unit, or any
poron thereof, ulized for residing, lodging, sleeping, or other occupancy purposes
for less than 30 consecuve days, counng porons of days as full days. Short-Term
Rentals may be Hosted or Non-Hosted.
What is a Hosted short-term rental?
• A hosted short-term rental is dened as a short-term rental where, throughout the
Short-Term Rental period, the host lives and sleeps in the dwelling unit or lives and
sleeps in another legal dwelling unit on the same parcel, which parcel is the owner’s
principal residence.
What is a Non-Hosted short-term rental?
• A non-Hosted short-term rental is dened as a short-term rental where the Host
does not live and sleep in the dwelling unit or in another legal dwelling unit on the
same parcel throughout the Short-Term Rental period.
What if my property is associated with an HOA?
• It is an applicant’s responsibility to verify whether STR acvity is prohibited by a
Homeowners Associaon's (HOA) Covenants, Condions, and Restricons (CC&Rs)
prior to subming a Short-Term Rental Permit applicaon.
Are there any restrictions to where short-term rentals may be permitted and how many?
• Pursuant to Visalia Municipal Code Section 17.32.166(B)(20) only one short-term
rental is permitted per parcel in any residentially zoned district.
What requirements must a Short-Term-Rental operator follow to be in compliance?
• The short-term rental operator will be obligated to comply with the operang
standards detailed in Visalia Municipal Code Secon 17.32.166(B)(1) through (20).
What is the process for City staff review of New and Renewal Short-Term Rental Permit
applications?
• The process is similar to any business license currently applied for with the City of
Visalia.
• The applicant will be required to submit a completed short-term rental application
and business license to the City’s Business Tax Division, which will be routed to
Planning staff for review.
• City sta reviews new and renewal short-term rental permit applicaons in the order
that they are submied to the City, and those that are deemed complete rst are
then acted on rst. An applicaon can be deemed complete once all issues have
been addressed and/or any addional informaon requested by City stahas been
provided. If there are other applicaons in process that were submied and deemed
completed prior to your applicaon, then those applicaons will be acted on rst.
Where can I get receipts from my TOT payments?
• The City of Visalia Finance Department can be reached at 559-713-4378. Property
owners can reach out to that department for copies of TOT receipts.
Do I need to obtain a Business Tax Certificate?
• Visit the City's page on the obtaining a Business Tax Certificate for more
information about how to apply for a Business Tax Certificate.