The county’s effort to regulate short-term rentals on unincorporated properties inched closer to fruition on August 10 as the five-member Santa Barbara County Planning Commission voted in favor of a draft ordinance that prohibits the practice in residential neighborhoods but allows it in mixed-use and commercial areas and on agricultural parcels that are at least 40 acres in size. The new ordinance would also require that rental units be equipped with smoke detectors and other safety fixtures, and it would establish quiet hours and yet-to-be-determined occupancy limits. The Montecito Planning Commission will review the draft ordinance on September 21 before it reaches county supervisors, perhaps before the end of the year.