CanIBnBCalifornia STR Rules
County jurisdiction · checked 2026-09-13

Can you BnB it in unincorporated Sacramento County?

The rules, with their sources

Permit or licenseA permit or license is required before operating.L14.08.010 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Primary residenceThe rental must be the operator's primary residence.L1Zoning Code 3.9.3.AA (county program page) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Caps and limitsChapter 4.08 contains no numeric cap on the number of licenses and no night cap. The county Short Term Rental Permit page states that the property owner or a renter with a long term lease must live on-site a minimum of six months per year, that maximum occupancy shall not exceed more than two adults per bedroom, that the short-term rental must remain an accessory use to full-time occupancy, and that only the primary dwelling and legally permitted accessory dwelling units constructed before January 1, 2020 may be used. Those limits come from the zoning code sections cited on that page and are recorded here at level 2.L1Sacramento County Code Ch. 4.08 Short-Term Rental, every section carrying the history note (SCC 1756, 4/22/2025). County Zoning Code Sections 3.9.3.AA and 6.5.6 govern the Short-Term Rental Permit. · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Transfer when the home sellsChapter 4.08 is unusually explicit. Section 4.08.085(D) states that a license issued under the chapter is nontransferable. Section 4.08.190 adds that short-term rental licenses do not provide a vested interest or entitlement in any property, that continued operation of a short-term rental upon a change of property ownership is strictly prohibited, that licenses are revocable, nontransferable and shall not run with the land, and that a change of ownership created by the sale of the property on which the license is located shall automatically result in the termination of the license. The selling owner must notify the Director of the ownership change at close of escrow. No exception is given for family members, heirs, trusts, or entity or LLC membership changes, and no transfer application window or grace period is provided.L14.08.190(A) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Read the code text →

In the county's own words

4.08.010“This Ordinance shall be known as the Short-Term Rental (STR) Business License Ordinance.” source
4.08.190(A)“Short-Term Rental Licenses do not provide a vested interest or entitlement in any property. The continued operation of a short-term rental upon a change of property ownership is strictly prohibited.” source
4.08.190(C)“A change of ownership created by the sale of the property on which the license is located shall automatically result in the termination of the license.” source
4.08.040(N)“Any unit, or portion thereof, permitted for residential use and rented for occupancy, lodging, or sleeping purposes for a period of not less than one night and not more than twenty-nine (29) days.” source

Citation: Sacramento County Code Ch. 4.08 Short-Term Rental, every section carrying the history note (SCC 1756, 4/22/2025). County Zoning Code Sections 3.9.3.AA and 6.5.6 govern the Short-Term Rental Permit.

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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.