County jurisdiction · checked 2026-09-13
Can you BnB it in unincorporated Orange County?
RestrictedUnincorporated Orange County allows short-term rentals of homes in residential districts and of existing homes in commercial districts, but only with a Short-term Rental Permit that must be renewed every two years. The permit ends when the property changes hands, so a buyer has to apply for a new one.
The rules, with their sources
Permit or licenseA permit or license is required before operating.L17-9-93 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Hosted onlyThe code does not limit rentals to hosted stays.L1Orange County Codified Ordinances Sec. 7-9-93 (Ord. No. 20-006, Sec. 1, 7-28-20); transient occupancy tax Secs. 1-4-120 and 1-4-121 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Primary residenceThe code does not require the rental to be the operator's primary residence.L1Orange County Codified Ordinances Sec. 7-9-93 (Ord. No. 20-006, Sec. 1, 7-28-20); transient occupancy tax Secs. 1-4-120 and 1-4-121 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Caps and limitsNo numeric permit cap and no area or community cap appears in Sec. 7-9-93. Limits that do apply are per property: maximum overnight occupancy of two persons per bedroom plus two additional persons, minimum two off-street parking spaces, and a vehicle limit of one per bedroom or two for units with two or more bedrooms. Accessory dwelling units may not be used as short-term rentals.L1Orange County Codified Ordinances Sec. 7-9-93 (Ord. No. 20-006, Sec. 1, 7-28-20); transient occupancy tax Secs. 1-4-120 and 1-4-121 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Transfer when the home sellsSec. 7-9-93 states that a change in ownership shall terminate the short-term rental permit. The section states no exception for family members, heirs, spouses, trusts, entity or LLC membership changes, and sets no transfer application window or grace period. The permit is issued to the property owner and must be renewed every two years, so a buyer must apply for a new permit.L17-9-93 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Read the code text →
In the county's own words
7-9-93“"Short-term rental" means a rental of all or any part of a dwelling unit to a person(s) as lodging for a period of less than thirty (30) days.” source
7-9-93“Short-term rentals are permitted in single-family dwelling units within single-family residential districts or designated single-family residential areas subject to a Short-term Rental Permit to the Director.” source
7-9-93“A change in ownership shall terminate the short-term rental permit.” source
7-9-93“The maximum overnight occupancy of the short-term rental shall be limited to two (2) persons per bedroom plus two (2) additional persons within the short-term rental.” source
Citation: Orange County Codified Ordinances Sec. 7-9-93 (Ord. No. 20-006, Sec. 1, 7-28-20); transient occupancy tax Secs. 1-4-120 and 1-4-121
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.