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California · Napa County

Napa County

county Mostly prohibited Needs review · last verified 2026-07-15

Short-term rentals (whole-dwelling vacation rentals / Airbnb-type stays under 30 consecutive days) are PROHIBITED in unincorporated Napa County. Napa County Code Title 18 (Zoning), Section 18.104.410 ("Transient commercial occupancies of dwelling units prohibited") states such uses "are prohibited in all residential and agricultural zoning districts within the county." A "transient commercial occupancy of a dwelling unit" is defined as "any commercial use of a dwelling unit for a period of time less than thirty consecutive days," expressly excluding legally permitted bed & breakfast establishments, hotels, and motels (and farm labor camps, residential care facilities, and family day care homes). Related zoning code § 18.08.260 provides that "rental of dwelling units for less than one month is prohibited." There is NO short-term-rental permit or registration program in unincorporated Napa County; the only lawful transient lodging (<30 days) is a permitted bed & breakfast, hotel, or motel obtained through the county's use-permit process. The county actively enforces the ban (it uses Granicus/Host Compliance monitoring across listing platforms); in 2024 an unpermitted-rental enforcement matter settled for $500,000 covering unpaid transient occupancy tax, penalties, code-enforcement costs, and outside counsel fees. A 13% Transient Occupancy Tax (Napa County Code Ch. 3.32, Uniform Transient Occupancy Tax) plus a separate 2% Tourism assessment apply to all legal transient lodging, administered by the Napa County Treasurer-Tax Collector. The 13% TOT rate took effect January 1, 2019 under voter-approved Measure I (Nov. 6, 2018), an increase from 12% — of the 13%, twelve percent goes to the county general fund and one percent is dedicated to affordable and workforce housing. Incorporated cities within the county (City of Napa, Calistoga, St. Helena, Yountville, American Canyon) set their own separate STR rules and are NOT covered by this county record. UNVERIFIED: The draft's specific enabling-ordinance citations — Ord. No. 1332 (adopted 12-15-2009, effective 12-1-2010), Ord. No. 1495 (9-24-2024), and "Supplement 48 / Ord. No. 1518 adopted 2026-02-10" — could NOT be confirmed against an official source because Municode and the county code mirror (elaws.us) were unreachable during verification; the prohibition itself is verified and is commonly reported as adopted circa 2010, but treat those ordinance numbers/dates as unconfirmed.

Not legal advice. Last verified 2026-07-15 · sources linked below.

Requirements checklist

  • county Short-term rental prohibition (Napa County Code § 18.104.410, Transient commercial occupancies of dwelling units prohibited) Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: — · Applies to: All dwelling units (including single-family dwellings, guest cottages, and accessory dwelling units) in residential and agricultural zoning districts in unincorporated Napa County · official page ↗
  • county Use Permit for a legally permitted bed & breakfast, hotel, or motel (only lawful path to <30-day transient lodging) Conditional
    Fee: — · Renewal: — · Applies to: Property owners who wish to offer legal transient lodging under 30 days in unincorporated Napa County (must qualify and be permitted as a B&B, hotel, or motel, not a dwelling-unit STR) · official page ↗
  • county Transient Occupancy Tax registration + Certificate of Authority (annual operator registration, Napa County Code Ch. 3.32) Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: Annually · Applies to: Every operator of a legally permitted hotel/lodging facility collecting Transient Occupancy Tax (dwelling-unit STRs cannot lawfully register because they are prohibited) · official page ↗

Taxes

TaxRateAdministered byAirbnb remitsVrbo remits
Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) — Napa County Uniform Transient Occupancy Tax 13% Napa County Treasurer-Tax Collector (the 'tax administrator') — —
Tourism assessment (lodging) 2% Napa County Treasurer-Tax Collector (collected alongside TOT) — —

Lodging-tax estimator

Estimate the combined transient/lodging tax (~15.0%) on a stay in Napa County. Estimate only — not tax advice.

Operating rules

Primary residence
—
Min stay (nights)
30
Max nights / year
—
Max occupancy
—
Zoning-restricted
Yes
Cap on licenses
—

Zoning: Transient commercial occupancies of dwelling units are prohibited in ALL residential and agricultural zoning districts in unincorporated Napa County (Napa County Code § 18.104.410). Because the unincorporated county is overwhelmingly agricultural (Agricultural Preserve / Agricultural Watershed) and residential, this operates as a countywide ban on dwelling-unit short-term rentals. The only lawful transient lodging under 30 days is a legally permitted bed & breakfast establishment, hotel, or motel obtained via the county use-permit process.

  • There is no short-term-rental permit, license, or registration program in unincorporated Napa County — dwelling-unit STRs are banned outright, so no cap on licenses exists.
  • min_stay_nights of 30 reflects that only occupancies of thirty consecutive days or longer fall outside the definition of a prohibited 'transient commercial occupancy'; a commercial dwelling-unit use of under 30 days is illegal. Code § 18.08.260 similarly states 'rental of dwelling units for less than one month is prohibited.'
  • primary_residence_required is null because the ban applies regardless of owner occupancy — there is no owner-occupancy exemption that would legalize a dwelling-unit STR.
  • grandfathering set to null (was 'false' in the draft): the § 18.104.410 prohibition provides no grandfather pathway for dwelling-unit STRs, but a secondary source suggests units 'legally permitted prior to 2018' may exist as legacy lodging — this legacy question could not be verified against an official source, so it is left unconfirmed rather than asserted.
  • Incorporated cities (City of Napa, Calistoga, St. Helena, Yountville, American Canyon) have their own separate STR ordinances and are NOT governed by this county-level record.
  • The draft's claim that § 18.104.410(B) excludes bona fide house exchanges was NOT verifiable from an official source and should be treated as unconfirmed.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Airbnb legal in Napa County?
Short-term rentals (whole-dwelling vacation rentals / Airbnb-type stays under 30 consecutive days) are PROHIBITED in unincorporated Napa County. Napa County Code Title 18 (Zoning), Section 18.104.410 ("Transient commercial occupancies of dwelling units prohibited") states such uses "are prohibited in all residential and agricultural zoning districts within the county." A "transient commercial occupancy of a dwelling unit" is defined as "any commercial use of a dwelling unit for a period of time less than thirty consecutive days," expressly excluding legally permitted bed & breakfast establishments, hotels, and motels (and farm labor camps, residential care facilities, and family day care homes). Related zoning code § 18.08.260 provides that "rental of dwelling units for less than one month is prohibited." There is NO short-term-rental permit or registration program in unincorporated Napa County; the only lawful transient lodging (<30 days) is a permitted bed & breakfast, hotel, or motel obtained through the county's use-permit process. The county actively enforces the ban (it uses Granicus/Host Compliance monitoring across listing platforms); in 2024 an unpermitted-rental enforcement matter settled for $500,000 covering unpaid transient occupancy tax, penalties, code-enforcement costs, and outside counsel fees. A 13% Transient Occupancy Tax (Napa County Code Ch. 3.32, Uniform Transient Occupancy Tax) plus a separate 2% Tourism assessment apply to all legal transient lodging, administered by the Napa County Treasurer-Tax Collector. The 13% TOT rate took effect January 1, 2019 under voter-approved Measure I (Nov. 6, 2018), an increase from 12% — of the 13%, twelve percent goes to the county general fund and one percent is dedicated to affordable and workforce housing. Incorporated cities within the county (City of Napa, Calistoga, St. Helena, Yountville, American Canyon) set their own separate STR rules and are NOT covered by this county record. UNVERIFIED: The draft's specific enabling-ordinance citations — Ord. No. 1332 (adopted 12-15-2009, effective 12-1-2010), Ord. No. 1495 (9-24-2024), and "Supplement 48 / Ord. No. 1518 adopted 2026-02-10" — could NOT be confirmed against an official source because Municode and the county code mirror (elaws.us) were unreachable during verification; the prohibition itself is verified and is commonly reported as adopted circa 2010, but treat those ordinance numbers/dates as unconfirmed.
Do I need a license or registration for a short-term rental in Napa County?
Yes — Napa County requires: Short-term rental prohibition (Napa County Code § 18.104.410, Transient commercial occupancies of dwelling units prohibited); Use Permit for a legally permitted bed & breakfast, hotel, or motel (only lawful path to <30-day transient lodging); Transient Occupancy Tax registration + Certificate of Authority (annual operator registration, Napa County Code Ch. 3.32). See the requirements checklist for fees, renewal, and official links.
What taxes apply to short-term rentals in Napa County?
Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) — Napa County Uniform Transient Occupancy Tax (13%), Tourism assessment (lodging) (2%) — roughly 15.0% combined. Use the lodging-tax estimator on this page for a specific stay.

Official sources

Related coverage

In California

Cities in this county Napa

Informational summary of publicly available sources; not legal advice. Verify against the linked official sources.