Salinas ADUs and JADUs may only be rented for terms of 30 days or more, per California Government Code §65852.2(a)(7). Short-term rental (under 30 days) of any ADU is prohibited under state law. Salinas does not currently operate a permissive citywide short-term rental licensing program for ADUs, and listings on Airbnb, VRBO, or Booking.com under 30 days are enforceable as code violations.
California Government Code §65852.2(a)(7) requires that any ADU permitted after January 1, 2020 be rented only for terms of 30 days or more. This is a statewide preemptive floor - Salinas cannot allow shorter terms even if it wanted to. The 30-day minimum applies equally to JADUs under Gov. Code §65852.22. Long-term rentals (30+ days) of an ADU do not require a separate Salinas business license tied to the ADU itself; standard California landlord-tenant law applies, including the just-cause and rent-cap provisions of the Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482, Civil Code §1946.2 and §1947.12) where the ADU is not exempt. Salinas does collect a 10% Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) under SMC Chapter 5 on lawful short-term lodging, but that program is not designed to authorize ADU short-term rentals. Hosting platforms (Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com) display listings publicly, making enforcement straightforward - Salinas Code Enforcement and the Community Development Department respond to complaints with citation and abatement. Operators who list an ADU under 30 days also risk violation of the recorded ADU/JADU deed restriction and any HOA covenants.
Operating an ADU as a short-term rental violates California Gov. Code §65852.2(a)(7). Salinas Code Enforcement issues citations under SMC Chapter 1 with administrative fines escalating for repeat violations, and can refer matters for civil abatement. California SB 60 authorizes daily fines up to $1,500 for residential short-term-rental health-and-safety violations. Failure to remit Transient Occupancy Tax under SMC Chapter 5 triggers Finance Department audit, interest, and penalties.
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