Santa Cruz County, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Short-term rental in ADU/JADU
- Prohibited outright
- Minimum unrestricted rental term
- 30 days
- Vacation/hosted rental program
- Property ineligible if it has an ADU/JADU
- Sale separate from main home
- Barred except qualified nonprofit ADUs
- Enforcement remedy
- Attorney's fees plus unauthorized rent recovery
Summary
Santa Cruz County flatly bars short-term rental use in any accessory dwelling unit or junior ADU. SCCC § 13.10.681(G)(3) says a rental of less than 30 days is never allowed in an ADU or JADU, and the property itself is disqualified from the county's vacation rental and hosted rental permit programs.
Short-Term Rental Use. In no case shall a short-term rental use of less than 30 days be permitted in an ADU or JADU. A property with an ADU or JADU shall not be eligible for participation in the vacation rental or hosted rental programs.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 5004302; v11 updated 2026-05-19; through 05-19-2026).
Full Breakdown
694. 26, and every ADU or JADU permitted after January 1, 2025 carries an owner-occupancy requirement enforced through a recorded deed restriction. That restriction requires the property owner or a relative to permanently reside in either the main dwelling or the accessory unit, documented by a homeowner's property tax exemption, and it authorizes the County to recover attorney's fees and any rent collected during unauthorized occupancy if the restriction is violated. The Planning Director can grant a temporary one-year exception allowing both units to be rented if the owner or a relative cannot occupy the property due to illness or an unexpected absence unrelated to vacation travel, renewable at the Director's discretion. None of these exceptions reach the short-term rental ban itself: that prohibition in subsection (G)(3) has no carve-out in the code text.
Violations & Fines
Operating a short-term rental out of an ADU or JADU, or applying for a vacation or hosted rental permit on a parcel that includes one, is a direct violation of § 13.10.681(G)(3) since the code frames the ban as absolute rather than permit-conditioned. Where the property also carries the deed restriction required under subsection (G)(4)(b), the County can additionally recover its reasonable attorney's fees and costs in enforcing the restriction, plus the rents collected during any unauthorized occupancy period, through legal action against the owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I rent my Santa Cruz County ADU out on Airbnb for a weekend?
Can I still run a short-term rental out of my main house if I have an ADU?
Is there any way to legally rent an ADU short-term in unincorporated Santa Cruz County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Cruz County
California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Cruz County to another location·View the California accessory structures overview
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