Contra Costa County · checked 2026-09-13
Can you BnB it in Walnut Creek?
No STR ordinanceWalnut Creek has no short-term rental ordinance and no registration or permit for short-term rentals. The city taxes stays of thirty consecutive days or less under its transient occupancy tax, and its zoning code treats hotels, motels and bed and breakfast inns as separate visitor accommodation uses rather than residential uses.
The rules, with their sources
Permit or licenseNo permit is required; the code has no short-term rental permit program.L1Walnut Creek Municipal Code Chapter 8-3 Transient Occupancy Tax (Ord. 775, effective April 16, 1965; Ord. 1607, effective October 23, 1984); Zoning Chapter 10-2, Article 4 Use Classifications, section 10-2.1.403B.39. No short-term rental chapter exists. · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Primary residenceThe code does not require the rental to be the operator's primary residence.L1Walnut Creek Municipal Code Chapter 8-3 Transient Occupancy Tax (Ord. 775, effective April 16, 1965; Ord. 1607, effective October 23, 1984); Zoning Chapter 10-2, Article 4 Use Classifications, section 10-2.1.403B.39. No short-term rental chapter exists. · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Transfer when the home sellsCode silent on transfer. Walnut Creek has no short-term rental permit or registration, so there is nothing to transfer or to lose on sale. A buyer would stand in the same position as the seller.L1Walnut Creek Municipal Code Chapter 8-3 Transient Occupancy Tax (Ord. 775, effective April 16, 1965; Ord. 1607, effective October 23, 1984); Zoning Chapter 10-2, Article 4 Use Classifications, section 10-2.1.403B.39. No short-term rental chapter exists. · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Read the code text →
In the city's own words
8-3.02d“any person who exercises occupancy or is entitled to occupancy by reason of concession, permit, right of access, license or other agreement for a period of thirty (30) consecutive calendar days or less” source
10-2.1.403B.39.b“Establishments providing guest rooms for lodging, typically for less than seven (7) consecutive days” source
Citation: Walnut Creek Municipal Code Chapter 8-3 Transient Occupancy Tax (Ord. 775, effective April 16, 1965; Ord. 1607, effective October 23, 1984); Zoning Chapter 10-2, Article 4 Use Classifications, section 10-2.1.403B.39. No short-term rental chapter exists.
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.