SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — El Dorado County has launched a new section on its website that is dedicated to vacation home rental code enforcement. The new section will provide accurate and timely information for owners, residents and renters, officials announced Monday.

“For years, the Board of Supervisors has discussed the need for VHR policies to strike a balance between the rights of homeowners to rent their properties and the rights of the surrounding communities not to be disrupted by renters,” said Planning and Building Director Tiffany Schmid. “Such a balancing act requires a strong education and outreach effort through code enforcement and planning. This website is one component in the board’s overall approach to do just that.”

The county regulates, permits and enforces vacation home rentals within its jurisdiction of the Lake Tahoe Basin and West Slope, excluding the incorporated cities. VHRs operating within the city limits of South Lake Tahoe and Placerville are permitted and enforced by the local police departments.

Within the unincorporated area of the county, code enforcement administers the VHR enforcement program while staff from planning services administers the permitting program.

The website links together the various aspects of the VHR program, including permitting, building permits, fire department inspections and code enforcement activities. The new site will complement and supplement the existing VHR permitting website and provides a seamless transition between code enforcement and permitting activities, said a release.

Residents and visitors will now be able to go to one place on the county’s web site and find information and resources including links to all VHR partner agencies and departments, FAQs, the code enforcement progressive enforcement approach, how to lodge a complaint, a permit tracking tool, contact information, penalties, and a sign-up page for a new VHR enforcement newsletter.

“The VHR ordinances are the minimum set of standards adopted by the county’s Board of Supervisors which govern how VHRs are permitted and how they operate,” Schmid said. “It is the role of County staff to educate and enforce those ordinances in a fair, transparent, and consistent manner and this new micro website is a solid step in that direction.”