Cathedral City, CA Building Safety: Carbon Monoxide Detectors (2026)

Section 5.96.040(L) of the Cathedral City Municipal Code, part of the short-term vacation rental chapter enacted by Ordinance 842 (2020) and amended by Ordinance 859 (2022), states that no initial or renewal permit shall be issued if the property does not have functioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. The same sentence lists three more bars to a permit: no HVAC, electricity or plumbing; a structure substantially modified in a way that required a building permit from the city when no permit was obtained; and any other condition the city determines presents a substantial threat to the health, safety or welfare of guests. The section requires the detectors to be functioning but does not print a count or placement rule for them.

The detector check happens at the inspection. Under § 5.96.040(K) the permit application comes with a consent to inspection signed by the owner, and the city conducts a health and safety inspection of the unit before issuing a new permit and before issuing any renewal permit. That inspection also verifies the number of bedrooms originally permitted and authorized under the original certificate of occupancy and confirms that no space has been converted into a bedroom or living space without all required permits. If the unit has a privately owned pool or spa, § 5.96.040(M) has the city inspector confirm it was built under a valid city permit and operates safely.

Because home sharing is a form of short-term vacation rental, and the chapter applies its STVR provisions to home shares unless expressly provided otherwise, the detector condition covers home share permits as well. The rule in § 5.96.040(L) is a permit condition in Cathedral City for rentals to guests. Since permits renew annually, the detectors must be in working order at every renewal. An owner whose new permit application is denied under § 5.96.040(N) can apply again only after twelve months from the date of denial (§ 5.96.040(O)).