SLO County property owners face hefty costs after hosting weddings, events. Here’s why
As San Luis Obispo County cracks down on property owners hosting weddings, fundraisers and other private events without the proper permits, some are struggling to get their properties up to code.
In fact, property owners told the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, they didn’t know they were missing permits.
Now the local landowners are wondering how they’ll afford the costly fixes needed to get their properties in compliance. Many of them rely on revenue from event hosting to support their farms and ranches.
Some, like Templeton olive farmer Karen Tallent, are choosing simply to stop hosting events.
“The rules are changing against our rural county,” Tallent told supervisors at Tuesday’s meeting. “We are witnessing the end of private events on private property.”
Supervisor Jimmy Paulding agreed that the situation is difficult for landowners who have been out of compliance with state and county codes.
“For many of you with small businesses, it seems like ... death by a thousand cuts,” Paulding said at Tuesday’s meeting.
Unfortunately, county officials said Tuesday, the board doesn’t have the jurisdiction to exempt property owners from rules set by the California building and fire codes.
How does SLO County regulate events?
Hosts of temporary events such as rodeos, art shows, tent camps, festivals and concerts must apply to the county for minor use permits, according to a staff report shared at Tuesday’s meeting.
Some events, such as parades, are exempt from the minor use permit requirement, the staff report said.
However, big weddings and other large-scale private events can require more extensive permitting, according to the staff report.
“It’s a complicated issue,” San Luis Obispo County chief building officer Cheryl Journey told The Tribune. “There’s no simple answer to (the question) ‘What type of permit does a wedding need?’ ”
Factors such as the size of the event, the property size, the number of events held at the property and the structures being used during the event decide what type of permit is required, Journey said.
Temporary events hosted on private property have to follow regulations set by the county’s land use ordinance, the California Building Code and the California Fire Code and Forestry Regulations, according to the staff report.
The land use ordinance requires events to be 1,000 feet away from homes, the staff report said. Such events should also offer sufficient parking, have two entrances and exits for emergency vehicles, and meet sanitation, fire protection and water supply rules.
The California Building Code requires buildings used by events to be designed for large groups “especially with respect to fire safety,” the staff report said.
Under the California Fire Code, properties must have multiple access points for fire trucks and a sprinkler system inside buildings.
According to San Luis Obispo County Department Planning and Building Director Trevor Keith, most SLO County event hosts comply with these regulations and secure the proper permits for their businesses.
Some hosts, however, were misinformed by county staff about the types of permits they needed.
“Years ago, there was a misconception about vacation rentals being allowed to host ‘private events,’” the staff report said. “Some rental owners understood ‘private event’ as including a wedding.”
As a result, some property owners started event businesses without the proper permitting — hosting events such as weddings with hundreds of people in attendance, according to the staff report.
A handful of these property owners were recently cited by the county for being out of compliance with county rules, the California Building Code or Fire Code — and are required to bring their properties up to code to keep hosting events, Keith said.
For example, the owner of one Edna Valley property had to remove a wooden stove from an antique barn and stop using an unpermitted kitchen on the property in order to host further events while securing the necessary permits, according to the staff report.
If a property owner secured the proper permits before starting an event business, their property is “grandfathered in” to new codes, meaning they don’t need to update their property to comply with the latest regulations, Journey said.
If a property owner got a permit to host events in 2017, for instance, they wouldn’t have to update their building each year when the state introduces new building codes.
The property owner would still need to make those fixes if they want to apply for a new permit to host events not covered by their original permit, Journey said.
Folks who have been operating without a permit can’t have their buildings “grandfathered in” like folks who operated with a permit, Jounrey said.
Now, those who have been operating event businesses without the proper permits must catch up on years of county and state regulations.
Rancher: Cost of complying with regulations is ‘insurmountable’
Thom Jespersen and his family host weddings on their property “to help pay for the ranch and keep the property in the family,” he said at Tuesday’s meeting.
Code enforcement staff informed him that he was out of compliance with county and state codes, so he applied for a permit to continue hosting events.
Then an engineer inspected Jespersen’s event building, and informed him of modifications he needed to make to comply with county and state codes — such as upgrading his fire sprinkler system.
Although each individual modification is affordable on its own, Jesperson said, the total price tag “becomes insurmountable” when those costs are added up.
The county gave Jespersen a year to bring his property up to code, but he said that it’s not enough time.
“We’re willing to work with them if they would work with us,” Jespersen said.
Tallent said she couldn’t afford to bring her Templeton property up to code, so she’s ended the event business she previously hosted.
“We gave up immediately when we were cited and walked away from that augmentation of our business, and ability to share our olive farm with the community,” Tallent said. “We’re going to shut it down.”
On Tuesday, Supervisor Debbie Arnold said it’s not fair for county residents to lose their businesses because they can’t afford to make fixes to bring their properties up to code — especially if they were misinformed by county staff.
“This ... isn’t people trying to avoid their permits. These are people who thought they were all up and running,” Arnold said. “They invested their money. They opened businesses, and in many cases (they are) successful businesses that have brought a lot of tax dollars into the county.”
Code enforcement staff work with property owners
Code enforcement is complaint-driven, meaning if someone complains to the Planning and Building Department about an event, county code enforcement staff will investigate the property.
Keith said code enforcement staffers are working with property owners to bring their properties into compliance, sometimes allowing them to host previously scheduled events while they retrofit their properties.
“Other counties would go in and just red tag them and shut them down,” Keith said. “(We’re) trying to find what leniency we can have.”
“Folks that want to go through the permitting (are) working in good faith with us,” he said, which is why ”a time extension comes into play.”
“Our big concern is the health and safety of these event venues,” Keith said.
This story was originally published March 1, 2023 at 2:33 PM.
