Sonoma vacation rentals must accommodate guest parking on-site under the conditions of their original use permit and the City's underlying off-street parking standards (SMC Ch. 19.48); on-street overflow that creates neighborhood impacts is grounds for enforcement.
The City of Sonoma's 2017 vacation-rental ordinance (SMC §19.50.140) requires permitted vacation rentals to comply with on-site parking conditions imposed during the original use-permit approval — typically one off-street space per bedroom or per the underlying residential-parking standard in SMC Chapter 19.48 (Parking Regulations), whichever is greater. The City's parking standard for single-family dwellings under SMC 19.48 generally requires two covered off-street spaces, and conditions of approval on vacation rentals can require additional capacity where the bedroom count exceeds the default. Vacation-rental advertising must list the on-site parking capacity, and the property-manager rules typically instruct guests to park on-site only. Sonoma County's parallel ordinance (which governs unincorporated parcels just outside the city limits) is even stricter: vacation rentals there cannot be issued where there is no on-site parking or on-street parking within 500 feet of the parcel. Inside city limits, the City may treat persistent on-street overflow as a use-permit violation if it creates neighborhood impacts.
On-site parking required by a use permit must be maintained; loss of required parking is a permit violation under SMC §19.50.140 and SMC Ch. 19.48 enforced through the City's administrative-citation process: Notice & Order, cure period, administrative hearing within 45 days, escalating fines, and ultimately permit revocation for repeat or unresolved violations. Vehicles parked unlawfully on city streets are separately subject to the City's parking citation schedule under Title 10 of the Municipal Code.
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