A. Rental Housing. It is unlawful for any person, business or other entity during the emergency declaration period to rent, lease or offer to rent or lease, or increase the rental price, to any existing or prospective tenant for any housing unit, of any kind, within the City of Chico, for a price of more than 10% above the average retail price charged for that housing unit immediately prior to the occurrence of a Declared Emergency, unless that person, business or entity can prove that the increase in price is directly attributable to additional costs for labor or materials used to provide the rental unit, in which case, the price shall not be more than 10% above the total cost of providing that rental unit.
B. Transient Housing. It is unlawful for any person, business or other entity during the emergency declaration period to rent or lease a hotel or motel room, or other short-term or long-term rental unit, including a vacation rental unit, in the City of Chico, for more than 10% above the hotel, motel or other short-term or long-term rental's regular rates, as advertised immediately prior to the occurrence of a Declared Emergency, unless that person, business or other entity can prove that the increase in price is directly attributable to additional costs imposed on it for goods or labor used in the business, to seasonal adjustments in rates that are regularly scheduled, or to previously contracted rates.
C. Sales of Goods and Services. It is unlawful for any person, contractor, business, or other entity during the emergency declaration period to sell or offer to sell any consumer food items or goods, goods or services used for emergency cleanup, emergency supplies, medical supplies, home heating oil, building materials, housing, transportation, freight, and storage services, or gasoline or other motor fuels, in the City of Chico, for a price of more than 10% above the price charged by that person for those goods or services immediately prior to the occurrence of a Declared Emergency. However, a greater price increase is not unlawful if that person can prove that the increase in price was directly attributable to additional costs imposed on it by the supplier of the goods, or directly attributable to additional costs for labor or materials used to provide the services, provided that in those situations where the increase in price is attributable to additional costs imposed by the seller's supplier or additional costs of providing the good or service during the state of emergency, the price represents no more than 10% above the total of the cost to the seller plus the markup customarily applied by the seller for that good or service in the usual course of business immediately prior to the onset of the state of emergency.
(Ord. 2522 §2 (part), Ord. 2527 §1 (part))