Los Banos, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum rental term
- 30 days
- Separate sale/conveyance of ADU
- prohibited
- Enforcement mechanism
- recorded deed restriction
- Deed restriction recorded with
- County Recorder
- Required before
- building/grading permit issuance
Summary
Los Banos allows an ADU to be rented out, just not as a short-term rental. Municipal Code § 9-3.3006(b) bars renting an accessory dwelling unit or junior ADU for stays under 30 days, and the City records that restriction against the property through a mandatory deed restriction before any building permit issues.
No Separate Conveyance. An accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit may be rented, but no accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit may be sold or otherwise conveyed separately from the lot and the primary dwelling (in the case of a single unit dwelling) or from the lot and all of the dwellings (in the case of a multi-unit dwelling). ... Short-Term Lodging. The accessory dwelling unit and/or junior accessory dwelling unit shall not be rented for periods of less than 30 days. ... Deed Restriction and Recordation Required. Prior to the issuance of a building and/or grading permit for an accessory dwelling unit and/or junior accessory dwelling unit, the property owner shall record a deed restriction with the County Recorder's office, the form and content of which is satisfactory to the City Attorney. The deed restriction document shall notify future owners of the owner occupancy requirements, prohibition on the separate conveyance, the approved size and attributes of the unit, and restrictions on short-term rentals.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4356507; v3 updated 2025-03-05).
Full Breakdown
3005. Subsection (a) confirms an ADU or JADU can be rented like any residential unit but can never be sold or conveyed separately from the lot and the primary dwelling, so a homeowner cannot subdivide off the ADU as its own parcel. Subsection (b) draws the short-term-rental line directly: an ADU or JADU shall not be rented for periods of less than 30 days, which rules out nightly or weekly vacation-rental use of the unit even though longer-term tenancy is fully permitted. That 30-day floor applies regardless of whether the unit is attached, detached, or a garage conversion.
3006(d), before any building or grading permit for an ADU or JADU issues, the owner must record a deed restriction with the County Recorder, in a form the City Attorney approves, that puts future buyers on notice of the short-term-rental ban, the no-separate-conveyance rule, the owner-occupancy requirement, and the unit's approved size and attributes. That deed restriction runs with the land for as long as the unit exists on the lot.
Violations & Fines
Renting an ADU or JADU for stays under 30 days violates the recorded deed restriction required by § 9-3.3006(d) as well as § 9-3.3006(b) itself, exposing the owner to code enforcement action for breaching a condition of the unit's building permit and the restriction on title.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I rent my Los Banos ADU on a nightly rental platform?
Can I sell my ADU separately from my house?
How does the City enforce the short-term rental ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Los Banos
California rules heatmap·Compare Los Banos to another location·View the California accessory structures overview
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