Santa Clara County · checked 2026-09-13
Can you BnB it in Los Gatos?
RestrictedLos Gatos allows short-term rentals only with an annual town license tied to the host's primary residence, with 180 nights a year hosted and 30 nights a year un-hosted. Licenses are capped at five percent of the town housing stock, are non-transferable to any other person or location, and expire at the end of each calendar year.
The rules, with their sources
Permit or licenseA permit or license is required before operating.L114.140.020 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Hosted onlyThe code does not limit rentals to hosted stays.L1Los Gatos Town Code Chapter 14, Article XIV, Secs. 14.140.010 to 14.140.110 (Ord. No. 2279, sec. 2, 2-19-19; amended by Ord. No. 2320, sec. III, 9-7-21) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Primary residenceThe rental must be the operator's primary residence.L114.140.015 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Night capUnhosted rentals are capped at 30 nights per year.L1Los Gatos Town Code Chapter 14, Article XIV, Secs. 14.140.010 to 14.140.110 (Ord. No. 2279, sec. 2, 2-19-19; amended by Ord. No. 2320, sec. III, 9-7-21) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Caps and limitsLicenses are capped at five percent of the housing stock of the Town of Los Gatos; once issued licenses exceed that share, issuance ceases and applicants go on a first come, first served waiting list (Sec. 14.140.030). Night caps: hosted rentals 180 nights per calendar year, un-hosted rentals 30 nights per calendar year, cumulative for multiple units on the same parcel (Sec. 14.140.055). One licensed parcel per host and no concurrent rentals (Sec. 14.140.075).L114.140.030 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Transfer when the home sellsSection 14.140.030 states that each short-term rental license is non-transferable to any other person or location, so a license does not pass to a buyer and does not run with the land. The license is issued to the host, is good only through the end of the calendar year, and is never renewed automatically (Sec. 14.140.035). The code text read contains no family, heir, spouse, trust, entity or LLC exception and no transfer-application window or grace period. A buyer must apply as a new applicant, must document the property as a primary residence, and may be placed on the five percent waiting list if the cap is reached.L114.140.030 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Read the code text →
In the city's own words
14.140.020“No owner of property within the jurisdiction of the Town of Los Gatos may advertise, offer, operate, rent or otherwise make available, or allow any other person to make available for occupancy or use a short-term rental without a short-term rental license.” source
14.140.030“Each short-term rental license shall be non-transferable to any other person or location.” source
14.140.030“Short-term rental licenses shall be capped at five (5) percent of the housing stock of the Town of Los Gatos.” source
14.140.030“If at any time, the number of valid short-term rental licenses issued exceeds five (5) percent of the Town's housing stock, the issuance of licenses will cease and additional applicants will be placed on a first-come, first-served waiting list.” source
Citation: Los Gatos Town Code Chapter 14, Article XIV, Secs. 14.140.010 to 14.140.110 (Ord. No. 2279, sec. 2, 2-19-19; amended by Ord. No. 2320, sec. III, 9-7-21)
Check a specific address
The checker resolves any California address to its jurisdiction and returns these rules with their verification level. Where a county or city publishes a licensed-rental registry or parcel map (Riverside County, San Diego, Palm Springs, and a growing list), it also runs parcel spacing, permit cap, and registry checks.
How this page was verified
Verified from the municipal code (level 1), checked on 2026-09-13 by the CanIBnB research desk. Research is AI assisted and human reviewed; the method, the level system, and the re-check schedule are on the How we verify page. If anything here is wrong, report it and it goes in the public corrections log.