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California · Sonoma County

Sonoma County

county Restricted Verified · last verified 2026-07-15

In unincorporated Sonoma County, short-term/vacation rentals (tenancy of residential property for a term of 30 days or less that is subject to transient occupancy tax; excludes hosted rentals and bed-and-breakfast inns) are legal but heavily regulated under a two-layer county regime. LAND USE: the Sonoma County Zoning Code vacation rental use standards (published county handout still codified as Sec. 26-88-120, amended by Ord. No. 6145 in 2016; relocated by Ord. No. 6386 adopted 8-22-2022 and now cited by Permit Sonoma as the inland Vacation Rental land use standards at Sec. 26-28-160, with the coastal zone at Sec. 26C-325.10) require a zoning permit (or a use permit if the standards are not met). BUSINESS LICENSE: Ordinance No. 6427 (introduced 4-24-2023, adopted 5-16-2023, effective 30 days after passage) added Chapter 4, Article VIII (Vacation Rental License Ordinance, Secs. 4-200 to 4-209) requiring every operator to obtain an annual Vacation Rental License; all property owners must be individuals (natural persons; an LLC/corporation cannot hold a license) and a property owner may only have an ownership interest in one licensed vacation rental at a time (these two limits do not apply to a nonconforming rental that was legally operating, or for which a land use permit application was accepted, prior to June 16, 2023). CAPS/EXCLUSION: Zoning Code Article 79 ('X Vacation Rental Exclusion and Cap Combining District,' established 2022) was applied by Ordinance No. 6423 (adopted 4-24-2023) to designated parcels in the 1st, 4th and 5th supervisorial districts as total-exclusion zones or density caps of 5% or 10% of single-family dwellings; vacation rentals are also prohibited on parcels where the X or AH combining zone is placed, in second dwelling units, in non-habitable structures, and in covenant-restricted affordable/agricultural-employee/farmworker/farm-family units or on Williamson Act lands. Every rental must be managed by a county-certified property manager available 24 hours during all times the property is rented (complaint response within 1 hour daytime / 30 minutes during quiet hours). Overnight occupancy is capped (2 persons per guestroom + 2 per property, max 12, excluding children under 3; max 5 guestrooms). A Transient Occupancy Tax certificate is mandatory (12% TOT in the unincorporated area). Classified 'restricted' due to the exclusion/cap combining district, the one-rental-per-owner limit, the natural-person ownership requirement, zoning eligibility limits, occupancy caps, and mandatory managed operation.

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

Requirements checklist

  • county Vacation Rental License (Chapter 4, Article VIII / Ord. No. 6427) Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: A license expires 1 year from the date of issuance and may be renewed annually. A license or renewal will not be issued if there is an open code violation associated with a vacation rental on the parcel. · Applies to: Every property owner operating a vacation rental (tenancy of 30 days or less subject to TOT) in unincorporated Sonoma County; does not include hosted rentals or bed-and-breakfast inns. Owner must be a natural person (trustee may apply if held in trust); a property owner may hold only one licensed vacation rental (natural-person and one-per-owner limits are exempt for rentals legally operating, or with a land use permit application accepted, before June 16, 2023). · official page ↗
  • county Vacation Rental land-use permit (zoning permit; use permit if standards not met) - Zoning Code Sec. 26-88-120 (now cited as inland Sec. 26-28-160) Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: Zoning permits run with the landowner and automatically expire upon sale or transfer of the property; use permits run with the land and may be issued for a limited term. · Applies to: All vacation rentals: a zoning permit if the rental meets the ordinance standards, otherwise a use permit. · official page ↗
  • county Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) certificate / registration with the Tax Collector Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: Ongoing; periodic TOT returns must be filed per the Tax Collector's schedule (a return is required even if no payment is due). · Applies to: Any vacation rental operator in the unincorporated area; owner or authorized agent must hold a TOT certificate, stay current on reports and payments (TOT and BIA), and include the certificate number on contracts, rental agreements, and advertising. · official page ↗
  • county Certified 24-hour Property Manager Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: Certification is issued by the county and may be suspended or revoked; a supplemental license form must be submitted (and accepted) before operating with a changed certified property manager. · Applies to: Every vacation rental in unincorporated Sonoma County; the manager must complete the county certification course and test, be available 24 hours during all times the property is rented, and respond to complaints within 1 hour (7 a.m.-9 p.m.) or 30 minutes (9 p.m.-7 a.m.). A property-management company cannot itself be the certified manager but may employ one. · official page ↗

Taxes

TaxRateAdministered byAirbnb remitsVrbo remits
Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) — — — —
Business Improvement Area (BIA) assessment — — — —

Operating rules

Primary residence
No
Min stay (nights)
—
Max nights / year
—
Max occupancy
Maximum overnight occupancy of two (2) persons per sleeping room or guestroom plus two (2) additional persons per property, up to a maximum of twelve (12) persons, excluding children under three (3) years of age; homes on a conditional or non-standard septic system (or capacity limited by a voluntary repair) are limited to the septic design load. Maximum of five (5) guestrooms/sleeping rooms; more than five may only be allowed subject to a use permit. Total guests plus daytime visitors may not exceed the overnight maximum plus six (6) more, or eighteen (18), whichever is less (excluding children under 3).
Zoning-restricted
Yes
Cap on licenses
Yes

Grandfathering: yes

Zoning: Allowed as provided by the underlying zone subject to a zoning permit (use permit if standards not met). Prohibited on parcels where the X Combining Zone or AH Combining Zone has been placed, in non-habitable structures, in second dwelling units, and in structures/dwellings with county covenants restricting use (affordable housing, agricultural employee units, farmworker housing, farm family units) or on Williamson Act lands. Tents, yurts, and RVs are not allowed as part of a vacation rental. NOTE: A commonly cited Permit Sonoma zone-eligibility list (generally permitted in RR, AR, LEA, DA, RRD; ineligible for new owners in LIA, R1, R2, R3, PC) is NOT quote-verified from primary code text and should be treated as needs_review.

  • Density caps: Zoning Code Article 79, the 'X Vacation Rental Exclusion and Cap Combining District' (established 2022), was applied by Ord. No. 6423 (adopted 4-24-2023) to designated parcels in the 1st, 4th and 5th supervisorial districts as either total-exclusion zones or a density cap of 5% or 10% of single-family dwellings within the mapped boundaries. In an exclusion area, existing legally permitted rentals may continue but permits expire on sale/transfer and no new applications are accepted; hosted rentals remain allowed.
  • One-rental-per-owner: a property owner may only have an ownership interest in one licensed vacation rental at a time (Ord. 6427 Sec. 4-204(B)(4)); does not apply to a nonconforming rental legally operating, or with a land use permit application accepted, before June 16, 2023.
  • Ownership: all property owners must be individuals/natural persons (Sec. 4-202(E), 4-204(B)(2)); business entities such as LLCs and corporations cannot hold a vacation rental license (subject to the same June 16, 2023 grandfathering).
  • A vacation rental may only be rented to one (1) tenant group at a time (Sec. 4-205(E)). A license may not be issued for a single-family dwelling with a junior accessory dwelling unit (Sec. 4-205(F)).
  • Grandfathering: nonconforming vacation rentals legally operating, or with a land use permit application accepted, prior to June 16, 2023 are exempt from the natural-person and one-per-owner requirements (Sec. 4-204(B)(5)). Existing vacation rentals (outside the Coastal Zone with a valid permit as of the effective date) had to obtain a license within 1 year of Ord. 6427's effective date (Section V.A).
  • No minimum-night stay or annual night cap was found in the county rules reviewed; a 'vacation rental' is defined as any tenancy of 30 days or less subject to TOT (Sec. 4-202(K)).

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Frequently asked questions

Is Airbnb legal in Sonoma County?
In unincorporated Sonoma County, short-term/vacation rentals (tenancy of residential property for a term of 30 days or less that is subject to transient occupancy tax; excludes hosted rentals and bed-and-breakfast inns) are legal but heavily regulated under a two-layer county regime. LAND USE: the Sonoma County Zoning Code vacation rental use standards (published county handout still codified as Sec. 26-88-120, amended by Ord. No. 6145 in 2016; relocated by Ord. No. 6386 adopted 8-22-2022 and now cited by Permit Sonoma as the inland Vacation Rental land use standards at Sec. 26-28-160, with the coastal zone at Sec. 26C-325.10) require a zoning permit (or a use permit if the standards are not met). BUSINESS LICENSE: Ordinance No. 6427 (introduced 4-24-2023, adopted 5-16-2023, effective 30 days after passage) added Chapter 4, Article VIII (Vacation Rental License Ordinance, Secs. 4-200 to 4-209) requiring every operator to obtain an annual Vacation Rental License; all property owners must be individuals (natural persons; an LLC/corporation cannot hold a license) and a property owner may only have an ownership interest in one licensed vacation rental at a time (these two limits do not apply to a nonconforming rental that was legally operating, or for which a land use permit application was accepted, prior to June 16, 2023). CAPS/EXCLUSION: Zoning Code Article 79 ('X Vacation Rental Exclusion and Cap Combining District,' established 2022) was applied by Ordinance No. 6423 (adopted 4-24-2023) to designated parcels in the 1st, 4th and 5th supervisorial districts as total-exclusion zones or density caps of 5% or 10% of single-family dwellings; vacation rentals are also prohibited on parcels where the X or AH combining zone is placed, in second dwelling units, in non-habitable structures, and in covenant-restricted affordable/agricultural-employee/farmworker/farm-family units or on Williamson Act lands. Every rental must be managed by a county-certified property manager available 24 hours during all times the property is rented (complaint response within 1 hour daytime / 30 minutes during quiet hours). Overnight occupancy is capped (2 persons per guestroom + 2 per property, max 12, excluding children under 3; max 5 guestrooms). A Transient Occupancy Tax certificate is mandatory (12% TOT in the unincorporated area). Classified 'restricted' due to the exclusion/cap combining district, the one-rental-per-owner limit, the natural-person ownership requirement, zoning eligibility limits, occupancy caps, and mandatory managed operation.
Do I need a license or registration for a short-term rental in Sonoma County?
Yes — Sonoma County requires: Vacation Rental License (Chapter 4, Article VIII / Ord. No. 6427); Vacation Rental land-use permit (zoning permit; use permit if standards not met) - Zoning Code Sec. 26-88-120 (now cited as inland Sec. 26-28-160); Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) certificate / registration with the Tax Collector. See the requirements checklist for fees, renewal, and official links.
What taxes apply to short-term rentals in Sonoma County?
Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), Business Improvement Area (BIA) assessment. Use the lodging-tax estimator on this page for a specific stay.

Official sources

Related coverage

In California

Cities in this county Sonoma

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