Glenn County, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Zones affected
- AP Agricultural Preserve; FS Farmland Security
- Eligible occupants
- Owner's relatives or on-site employees only
- Enabling chapter
- Ch. 15.175, Second Dwellings
- Construction standard
- Must meet Chapter 15.59 standards
- Approval path
- Application to planning authority, Director approval
- Repeat-violation penalty
- Up to $5,000 fine or 1 year jail
Summary
In unincorporated Glenn County, a second dwelling (ADU) permitted in the Agricultural Preserve zone under Glenn County Code Chapter 15.175 cannot be rented to the open market. Zoning Code Section 15.46.020 limits who may live in the unit to relatives of the property owner or to employees who work on the property, closing off ordinary tenant rentals.
The following uses and structures shall be permitted in the AP zone: One single-family dwelling for each parcel of land; Second dwelling per each parcel of land subject to Chapter 15.175 providing that such dwelling may only be occupied by relatives of the owner or by employees who work on the property;
Full Breakdown
59, Minimum Residential Construction Standards. But approval to build is not approval to rent freely. 020, so a landowner in either zone who wants a second unit cannot lease it on the open rental market, to vacation renters, or to unrelated tenants; occupancy is legally confined to family members of the parcel owner or to people employed on that same parcel. Because this condition is written into the permitted-use listing itself rather than as a separate standard, it functions as a running condition of the use: renting the unit outside the relative/employee class converts the permitted second dwelling into an unpermitted use of the property.
010 ties the AP zone to preserving agricultural land use and protecting the agricultural community from unrelated encroachment, which is the policy basis codified for restricting the second unit's tenancy.
Violations & Fines
Renting a Chapter 15.175 second dwelling to someone who is not a relative of the owner or an on-site employee is a zoning violation of the AP or FS district's permitted-use conditions. Under Glenn County Code Section 1.12.010, a violation of a regulatory or prohibitory code provision is an infraction unless a violation of the same provision recurs three or more times within any 12-month period, at which point the third and later violations become misdemeanors punishable by up to one year in county jail and/or a fine of up to $5,000, plus an equivalent civil penalty track.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I rent my Glenn County second dwelling on the open market?
Does the county still require a permit for the second dwelling itself?
What happens if I rent to someone outside the relative/employee class?
Does this rule apply county-wide or only in certain zones?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Glenn County
California rules heatmap·Compare Glenn County to another location·View the California accessory structures overview
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