Sonoma County · checked 2026-09-14
Can you BnB it in Sebastopol?
AllowedSebastopol allows vacation rentals with an administrative permit, or a conditional use permit for nonhosted rentals operating more than 30 days a year and for most ADUs. Occupancy is capped at two per bedroom plus two, up to 10 people, hosted rentals require the owner to live and sleep on site, and TOT is 12 percent.
The rules, with their sources
Permit or licenseA permit or license is required before operating.L117.260.060(B) · code text · checked 2026-09-14
Hosted onlyThe code does not limit rentals to hosted stays.L1SMC 17.260.060 (Vacation Rentals), enacted by Ordinance 1111 (2018); code current through Ordinance 1166 (July 21, 2026) · code text · checked 2026-09-14
Primary residenceThe code does not require the rental to be the operator's primary residence.L117.260.060(A) (hosted rentals) · code text · checked 2026-09-14
Caps and limitsNo citywide numeric cap. Nonhosted rentals renting more than 30 days per year need a conditional use permit with annual review. Hosted rentals may rent a maximum of two bedrooms. ADU vacation rentals require a CUP unless the ADU is 840 sq ft or less and was permitted before July 1, 2017.L1SMC 17.260.060 (Vacation Rentals), enacted by Ordinance 1111 (2018); code current through Ordinance 1166 (July 21, 2026) · code text · checked 2026-09-14
Transfer when the home sellsCode silent on transfer in 17.260.060; no sentence on transferability or permits running with the land was found in the section. Administrative and conditional use permits are issued for the use at the property; whether a new owner must reapply is not stated. The 2019 policy of not accepting nonhosted CUP applications was removed per the September 2024 planning staff report.L1SMC 17.260.060 (Vacation Rentals), enacted by Ordinance 1111 (2018); code current through Ordinance 1166 (July 21, 2026) · code text · checked 2026-09-14
Read the code text →
In the city's own words
17.260.060(B)“A vacation rental must receive either an administrative permit or conditional use permit, as shown in Table 17.260-1 below.” source
17.260.060(A) (hosted rentals)“The owner must reside at the vacation rental, and the owner must sleep at the vacation rental unit while it is being rented.” source
17.260.060(A)“The maximum overnight occupancy for vacation rentals shall be up to two persons per sleeping room or guest bedroom, plus two additional persons per property, up to a maximum total of 10 persons per vacation rental.” source
17.260.060(A)“Guest stays shall be limited to a maximum of 30 days, with a seven-day period between stays.” source
Citation: SMC 17.260.060 (Vacation Rentals), enacted by Ordinance 1111 (2018); code current through Ordinance 1166 (July 21, 2026)
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How this page was verified
Verified from the municipal code (level 1), checked on 2026-09-14 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.