Sonoma Municipal Code § 19.50.110(A)(5) does NOT require the host to be physically present at the property during a guest stay. Instead, every grandfathered vacation rental must have a designated property manager who is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during all times the unit is rented, with name and contact info on file with the City Planning Department.
Subsection A.5 of SMC § 19.50.110 reads: 'All vacation rentals shall have a property manager who is available 24 hours per days, 7 days per week during all times that the property is rented or used on a transient basis. The name and contact information of the property manager shall be provided to the City Planning Department and shall be provided to any interested person upon request.' This standard tracks the model used by Sonoma County for unincorporated areas (Sonoma County Code § 26-88-120 also requires a certified 24/7 manager), and serves the same function as a 'host presence' rule in other jurisdictions — i.e., a responsible local point-of-contact for noise and nuisance complaints — without requiring the homeowner to physically live or sleep on the premises. The manager need not be the owner; many Sonoma vacation rentals use professional management companies. Outdoor amplified sound is prohibited under § 19.50.110(A)(4), reinforcing the noise-response function of the manager.
If the manager is unreachable when a complaint is made, the City may issue a notice of violation and pursue abatement of the use entitlement under SMC Title 19. Enforcement is coordinated by the City Code Enforcement Division and prosecuted by the contracted City Prosecutor under general SMC Title 1 infraction penalties; chronic non-response can also be raised as grounds to find the rental no longer in compliance with the legal non-conforming use standards of § 19.50.110(B), which would terminate the grandfathered status.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Sonoma, CA
Public parks in the City of Sonoma have set operating hours under Sonoma Municipal Code §9.12.050. Plaza Park and Depot Park are operated by Sonoma County Re...
Sonoma, CA
The City of Sonoma does not have a stand-alone juvenile curfew ordinance in its municipal code. Minors are still subject to California Education Code §48264 ...
Sonoma, CA
The City of Sonoma does not operate a centralized 'no-knock' registry, but a clearly posted 'No Solicitors' or 'No Trespassing' sign at the entrance of priva...
Sonoma, CA
Door-to-door commercial solicitors and peddlers in the City of Sonoma must hold a City business license under SMC Title 5 (§5.04). Non-commercial canvassing ...
Sonoma, CA
Sidewalk vending is legal statewide under the Safe Sidewalk Vending Act (SB 946, Cal. Gov. Code §§51036–51039). California cities may not ban sidewalk vendin...
Sonoma, CA
Mobile food vendors in Sonoma may operate on private property with the owner's consent and in compliance with zoning, and on public sidewalks subject to the ...
See how Sonoma's host presence rule rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.