The fight over Pebble Beach vacation rentals is likely headed for a courtroom.

Several Pebble Beach residents pleaded with the Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Oct. 20 to approve the appeals to stop the licensing of four vacation rental properties, to no avail.

The supervisors were bound by the ordinances they approved in 2024 that allow for owners of 4 percent of homes in a region like Del Monte Forest, within Pebble Beach, to seek short-term rental licenses, as long as they meet all requirements.

The County's zoning administrator is bound by the same ordinances, and the administrator had already approved the four licenses, which were then appealed by neighbors to the Board.

There is a caveat to the seven approved licenses: In order for the licenses, which last for seven years, to be valid, the property owner holding the license must obtain permission from the Pebble Beach Company to use the enclave's private roads. And therein lies the problem.

PBC officials have said repeatedly they will not grant anyone the permission, due to their claim that the area's covenants, codes and restrictions do not allow commercial enterprises and they believe that the rentals fit that definition.

Over the last several months residents who say the vacation rentals are spoiling the quiet, residential character of Pebble Beach have tried to argue with County officials that they should not grant the licenses, in part because of the private road issue.

To which County staff have replied that the road issue is a civil matter, separate to the County's STR ordinances, so the approvals have moved ahead, including the four on Tuesday, when the supervisors voted 5-0 to deny the appeals.

Supervisor Kate Daniels, ahead of the first vote to deny an appeal for a home on Sunset Lane—located across the street from another recently approved license—said "it would be wonderful if it could be determined in a court of law." 

Later, addressing the other supervisors, she said, "I don't think we have any choice, despite the pain—I hear it," motioning to residents in the chambers. 

At least one property owner acknowledged that's where things were headed.

"From listening to this, I think it's clear that's where we need to go to...a civil hearing, so we will do that," said Stuart Wells, the applicant for a license at a home on Riata Road.

In the meantime, there are currently more than 20 vacation rentals in Pebble Beach listed on some online platforms. Some are operating illegally, but some are in the process of applying for a license, so they are allowed to continue to operate during that process.

In addition, once they have been granted a license, under the rules they can continue to operate during a 60-day grace period while they attempt to obtain permission from PBC for use of the roads—permission that PBC says it will never grant.

The result is that rentals are ongoing in the forest, creating what neighbors told supervisors was a stressful situation including loud parties, numerous vehicles and extra traffic, trash bins left out for days on end, among other issues. They asked for increased enforcement by the County to stem some of the issues.

One problem raised by residents was "clustering," where a number of short-term rentals are located near one another. County staff acknowledged that there was no specific language in the ordinances that would allow the zoning administrator to specifically consider clustering when making a decision about a license.

A review of the vacation rental ordinances was already scheduled to come before the Monterey County Planning Commission on Wednesday, Oct. 28, followed by the Board of Supervisors in December.

"I want the December meeting to address clustering and density in a way that would empower the zoning administrator to consider [them] in their decisions," Daniels said.