Clovis got tough on short-term rentals, netting more tax revenue, fewer disruptions
Clovis’s stricter enforcement of its short-term rental ordinance generated $270,000 in transient occupancy tax revenues for the city last fiscal year, according to city officials.
The ordinance, originally approved in 2018, requires short-term rental business owners to pay a one-time home occupation permit fee of $271 and an annual business license tax of approximately $245. The ordinance also included a set of rules for operating short-term rentals, such as quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 9 a.m., and the prohibition of parties or renting out pools and storage units.
Before 2024, fewer than 20 units were in compliance with obtaining the required permits and licenses, according to the city officials.
After two years of stricter enforcement, 105 short-term rental units in Clovis are in full compliance, while 16 units remain noncompliant or are delinquent in paying the permit fees and annual taxes. Another 53 units are no longer listed on websites, Paul Armendariz, assistant city manager, told the council this month.
“In the last two years, we made huge strides in gaining compliance,” Armendariz said.
The service calls related to short-term rental businesses decreased from 150 to 111 in the past year compared to the 2023-24 fiscal year, according to the data from the city’s police and fire departments.
In recent years, the council considered making amendments to the short-term rental ordinance in response to Clovis residents’ complaints. But after evaluation, city staff determined Clovis’s current ordinance strikes a balance between operational flexibility and neighborhood protection, according to the report submitted to the council.
Some Clovis residents remain skeptical about short-term rentals in their neighborhoods and say they create inconveniences to parking and trash collection.
“I do think that short-term rentals can change the neighborhood character. We see people coming and going at weird times,” a Clovis resident who lives on North Pollasky Avenue, told the council. “As far as potential areas, maybe limiting it within the Old Town areas, I would be supportive of that. Not a huge fan of the urban sprawl, which is why we live in Old Town.”
The resident said short-term rentals disrupt the “Clovis way of life.”
“I would also recommend or propose adding language to that permit that the applicant has to acknowledge the ‘Clovis way of life,’ and how this may be in conflict with that, and how running or operating a short-term rental, how they should do that within the ‘Clovis way of life’ in keeping with our community values.”
Councilmember Lynne Ashbeck said she agrees that the short-term rental business changes the nature of the community, because the neighbor across the street from her house also runs an Airbnb.
Clovis used to have a type of home occupation permit, which required applicants to gather feedback from their neighbors about running the business, Ashbeck said. She hopes to incorporate more opportunities for face-to-face communication with neighbors into the short-term rental application process.
Ashbeck also raised the idea of collecting occupancy tax to offset the service costs and mitigate disturbances to the community.
“I would just like to see if we can add this to our annual survey or in our general plan to see what the feel of our community is with regards to this sort of product in our community,” said Mayor Vong Mouanoutoua. “If the community is ‘Oh no, it’s just business for everyone, go for it,’ at least we understand what the community wants.”
This story was originally published November 26, 2025 at 9:52 AM.
