Fresno County puts 12% visitor tax on November ballot
Fresno County supervisors sent a 12% visitor tax to the Nov. 3 ballot, aiming to shift lodging costs from locals to hotel, rental and RV guests.
Stays in unincorporated Fresno County would carry a 12% transient occupancy tax, or TOT, on hotels, short-term rentals and RV campgrounds if voters approve the measure Nov. 3. The Board of Supervisors unanimously sent the measure to the ballot June 30, positioning the proposal as a way to make visitors help pay for roads, public safety and other county services they use while here.
The rate would add $12 to a $100 overnight stay and $24 to a $200 stay before any other fees. The tax would shift the burden to tourists and other guests rather than on property owners and sales taxpayers in Fresno County, especially in places that draw heavy visitor traffic such as Shaver Lake and Kings Canyon National Park.
Supervisor Nathan Magsig said Fresno County is one of only a handful of California counties without a transient occupancy tax and argued the county should not keep leaning on local residents to cover tourism-driven costs. County officials say inflation has pushed construction and infrastructure costs up by 20% to 40%. Paul Nerland, the county administrative officer, and Paige Benavides, the budget director, tied the proposal to that budget strain in recent town halls.
The county clerk estimated it will cost about $450,000 just to prepare and place the measure on the ballot. Because the tax would be a general tax, it needs a simple majority, or 50% plus one, to pass.
If approved, the money could be spent on a broad range of county needs rather than being locked to one project. Supervisors highlighted roads and public safety as the clearest examples, but the proposal would also give the county a new discretionary revenue stream.
Supervisors first directed staff on Feb. 10 to pursue a TOT, then approved the first reading of an ordinance on April 7 before voting June 30 to put it before voters. County staff and consultants estimate the tax could generate roughly $3 million to $5.3 million a year, with annual revenue estimated at about $4.5 million to $4.55 million.
The proposal would align Fresno County with nearby places that already charge visitors at the same rate. The cities of Fresno and Clovis both levy 12% transient occupancy taxes, and Mariposa County does as well. Colusa and Glenn counties are among the few California counties still commonly cited as lacking one.
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