Special BCC Meeting - Nov 02 2026

At a special meeting of the Santa Fe County Board of County Commissioners, held November 2, 2026 (the meeting metadata lists November 3), staff presented proposed amendments to the short-term-rental (STR) and business licensing regulations. Staff estimated about 630 STRs operating in the county, roughly 275 with county permits, and about 355 unpermitted or potentially noncompliant; 73 active code-enforcement cases were reported as of October 23. Proposed changes included applying existing percentage caps to all STRs, limiting non-owner-occupied licenses to natural persons, considering a 24-month ownership waiting period, expanding neighbor notice to 500 feet, requiring a conditional-use review for occupancy above six, and specifying escalating fines and license revocation for repeat violations. Commissioners discussed prioritizing enforcement, mapping unpermitted units, coordinating with booking platforms, parking and shared-road impacts, large events, and housing affordability. No STR amendments were adopted; staff was asked to follow up on geographic data and related information.

Staff also outlined potential Sustainable Land Development Code revisions concerning accessory dwelling units, development review, parking, open space, stormwater, affordable-housing incentives, traffic-impact analyses, night-sky protections, and data centers. Commissioners offered direction on priorities and concepts, including water and septic capacity for ADUs, smaller housing units, traffic review, and stepped building heights. Staff noted that a consultant is already under contract to assist with the code amendments and that third-party expertise may be needed for data-center and night-sky work; no new procurement, spending allocation, or contract award was approved. The only votes recorded were approval of the meeting agenda and adjournment.