🎯 STRisker: Bulletin - Riverside County, CA
STRs on Ice: Thousand Palms Gets 10 More Months of Breathing Room
A Deep Dive into Your Area’s STR Updates—Helping You Navigate the Ever-Changing Rental Landscape.
STRs on Ice: Thousand Palms Gets 10 More Months of Breathing Room
Party houses beware—Riverside County isn’t easing up. The Board of Supervisors has extended the moratorium on short-term rental (STR) certificates in Thousand Palms and B Bar H Ranch through February 2026 giving regulators time to bring more muscle to enforcement.
The unanimous vote came after months of tension and a surge of complaints about unpermitted rentals hosting massive parties, causing traffic nightmares and noise that rattles nearby residents.
Supervisor Manuel Perez, who represents the district, didn’t mince words:
“Some of these parties have sponsors. Folks just keep coming in. When promoters are making $50,000 on one party, the fines don’t really matter.”
Right now, 68 STRs are legally operating in the two communities. But since 2022, 62 more were flagged for flying under the radar. Code enforcement has responded with cease-and-desist orders, but the problem persists.
The new moratorium gives county staff time to update regulations with stricter penalties, tighter enforcement tools, and clearer standards for STRs. It follows Riverside’s 2022 STR law (Ordinance No. 927), which already:
- Requires STR operators to be over 21,
- Sets a 500-foot minimum distance between rentals,
- Holds guests and managers liable for nuisance behavior,
- Implements testing to ensure operator compliance.
But even with those rules, Thousand Palms has been feeling the squeeze—especially as surrounding cities like Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs clamp down on STRs possibly diverting party traffic into less regulated zones.
So what’s next? The Transportation & Land Management Agency is expected to draft new, permanent regulations. Once those are ready and public hearings are held, the board could lift the moratorium early.
Until then, the county’s message is clear: Respect the rules, or face the consequences. And for residents in Thousand Palms and B Bar H Ranch, that could mean quieter nights ahead—finally.
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