Davis, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

450(g) of the Davis Municipal Code requires a property owner to record a declaration of restrictions, approved by the city attorney, before the city will issue a certificate of occupancy for an accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit. That covenant runs with the property and binds all successors in interest to four conditions. First, the ADU or JADU cannot be sold, transferred, or assigned separately from the primary dwelling, though it may be rented. Second, and central to short-term rental questions, the unit 'shall not be used for short term rentals for less than thirty consecutive days,' closing off nightly or weekly platforms like typical vacation-rental listings.

Third, if a JADU exists on the property, either the JADU or the primary dwelling must be occupied by the property's owner of record, preventing an owner from renting out both units while living elsewhere. Fourth, the owner and every successor must maintain the ADU or JADU and the property according to all applicable ADU and JADU standards going forward. Because the covenant is recorded against the property rather than tied to a particular owner, the thirty-day minimum and owner-occupancy conditions survive a sale of the home; a new owner takes title subject to the same restrictions the original applicant accepted when the certificate of occupancy was issued.