Santa Rosa, CA short-term rental limits

What Santa Rosa asks of you

• Every short-term rental operator within city limits must obtain a Short-Term Rental Permit and follow the city's operating standards.^[4]

• The definition covers a whole dwelling unit or any portion of it, rented for under 30 consecutive days.^[4]

• A hosted rental sits in the owner's primary residence. The owner lives and sleeps on site during the rental period.^[4]

• The owner of a hosted rental must reside at the property for more than half the year.^[4]

• Hosted rentals are allowed citywide, with no cap on the number of hosted permits.^[4]

• Non-hosted permits are capped at 182 citywide. The cap shrinks as existing permits are vacated or revoked.^[4]

• A sale or transfer of the property also retires a non-hosted permit, except for transfers the zoning code allows.^[4]

• The city is not accepting new applications for non-hosted permits.^[4]

• Chapter 20-48 lists the districts open to non-hosted rentals. They include R-1 single-family zones, along with several mixed-use and commercial districts.^[8]

• Affordable or income-restricted housing cannot hold a permit. Senior housing, student housing and temporary structures such as tents are excluded too.^[4]

• Accessory dwelling units and junior ADUs are generally not eligible. One that already held a permit in effect may continue while it stays compliant.^[6]

• A first application costs $1,347.94. A renewal without an affidavit, or with a code case, costs $385.90.^[5]

• A renewal filed with an affidavit and no code case pays only an intake fee.^[5]

• Applications are taken in person, by appointment booked through the city's QLess system.^[5]

• A permit is valid for no more than one year from approval. The code then requires a yearly application to keep operating.^[8]

• Every advertisement shows the permit number and the maximum number of overnight renters. It also states the daytime guest limit and the off-street parking.^[8]

• Overnight renters are limited to two per bedroom, never more than 10, counting children over 3.^[8]

• From 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., daytime guests may add up to half the number of overnight renters.^[8]

• Quiet hours last from 9:00 p.m. until 8:00 a.m. Outdoor amplified sound is not allowed at any time.^[8]

• A local contact, available around the clock, visits the rental if needed within 45 minutes of a complaint.^[8]

• Since January 2025, operators also need a Business Tax Certificate under ballot Measure EE.^[4]

• Major violations, such as operating without a permit or exceeding occupancy, start at $1,500. Repeat violations within 12 months cost $3,000, then $5,000.^[7]

• Minor violations, such as a late local contact response, run $100, $200 and $500 in turn. A first advertising citation carries no fine.^[7]

• A third verified violation within 12 months opens revocation proceedings. After a revocation, the owner can never get a permit on that property again.^[7]

• On top of the city's 3% assessment, operators whose rent topped $350,000 in the prior fiscal year owe a separate 2% Sonoma County Tourism BIA assessment.^[10]

What California asks wherever you host

These rules apply at this address whatever the city decides.

• No state license exists for short-term rentals in California. The state's 2025 act on booking platforms says it does not preempt a local short-term rental ordinance.^[1]

• Since July 1, 2024, every mandatory fee has to sit inside the rate you advertise. Only government taxes and fees may be added later.^[2]

• State law caps city fines when a short-term rental violation threatens health or safety. The first ceiling is $1,500. A second violation within the year reaches $3,000, each later one $5,000.^[3]