Santa Fe, NM Short-Term Rentals: Host Presence Rule (2026)
Key Facts
- Availability
- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Response time
- physically present within 1 hour of contact
- Application detail
- operator name and phone required
- Neighbor notice
- mailed within 10 days of permit issuance
- Update rule
- new notice within 10 days of operator change
Summary
Every short-term rental unit in Santa Fe must have a local operator on call around the clock. Section 14-6.2(A)(5)(e)(i) requires the operator to answer complaints about the unit's operation or occupancy by phone at any hour and to reach the property in person within one hour of being contacted.
(i)A short-term rental unit must have a local operator that is available twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week, to respond to complaints regarding the operation or occupancy of the short-term rental unit . The operator must be accessible by telephone and able to be physically present at the short-term rental unit within one (1) hour of being contacted.
Full Breakdown
2(A)(5)(e)(i) of the Santa Fe Land Development Code makes the 24/7 local operator a baseline condition of every short-term rental permit or registration, not an optional convenience. The operator must be reachable by telephone at all hours to field complaints about noise, parties, or occupancy, and must be able to arrive at the property in person within one hour of being contacted, so a hosting service based outside Santa Fe cannot satisfy the rule on paper alone. 2(A)(5)(j). If the operator changes, a new notice must go out within 10 days of the change, together with proof of mailing filed with the land use director.
2(A)(5) and exposes the owner or operator to the civil and criminal enforcement provisions of SFCC Sections 1-3 and 14-11, including civil fines and revocation of the permit or registration.
Violations & Fines
Failing to keep a local operator reachable 24/7, or to update required contact notices within 10 days of any change, violates Section 14-6.2(A)(5)(e)(i) and (j) and falls under the enforcement provisions of Section 14-6.2(A)(5)(l). The land use director may assess a $100 civil fine for a first offense, $250 for a second, and $500 for a third within 36 months, and may revoke the permit or registration under Section 14-11.4.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast must a Santa Fe short-term rental operator respond to a complaint?
Do neighbors get told who the local operator is?
Can an out-of-state property manager serve as the local operator?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Fe
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