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

040(B) sets the minimum rental term for both accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units at thirty (30) continuous days, and it expressly prohibits any non-continuous or transient occupancy, closing the door on nightly or weekly short-term rental platforms operating out of a Merced ADU. That thirty-day floor applies regardless of whether the ADU is attached, detached, or converted from existing space, and it applies whether the owner rents out the primary home or the ADU under the occupancy rule in subsection (A). Subsection (C) adds a separate-conveyance restriction: an ADU cannot be sold, subdivided, or otherwise conveyed apart from the principal residence on the same parcel.

26, which requires recorded affordability restrictions on the ADU. 030(F)(3) reinforces the same restriction for the property as a whole, barring any lot line adjustment, subdivision, air-rights transfer, or condominium conversion that would let an ADU be sold, transferred, or disposed of independently of the primary dwelling, with that stipulation recorded as a deed restriction against the property.