Thousand Oaks, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum rental term
- 30 days (no short-term rentals)
- Separate sale of unit
- prohibited except under Gov. Code § 66341
- JADU deed restriction
- bars sale apart from main house
- Application review
- ministerial, no discretionary hearing
- Infraction fines
- $100 / $200 / $500 escalating
- Misdemeanor penalty
- up to $1,000 fine, 6 months jail
- Continuing violation
- each day is a separate offense
Summary
Thousand Oaks lets owners rent an ADU or JADU separately from the main house, but bans rentals of 30 days or less and forbids selling or conveying the unit apart from the primary dwelling except through a narrow state-law pathway.
(a) An ADU and/or JADU may be rented separately from the primary dwelling but may not be sold or otherwise conveyed separately from the primary dwelling except as provided in Government Code Section 66341. (b) An ADU and/or JADU shall not be rented for a term of thirty (30) days or less.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-78: 2026 S-78 Supplement contains: Current city legislation passed through March 31, 2026).
Full Breakdown
4506 governs how an ADU or JADU can be used once built. Subsection (a) allows the accessory unit to be rented separately from the primary dwelling but bars selling or otherwise conveying it separately, except as California Government Code Section 66341 allows, a provision that permits separate conveyance only through a qualified nonprofit or land-trust affordable-housing structure. Subsection (b) sets a flat floor on rental terms: an ADU or JADU cannot be rented for 30 days or less, closing off short-term and vacation-rental use of these units citywide.
4512(c)(2) reinforces the no-separate-sale rule by requiring a recorded deed restriction that prohibits sale of the JADU apart from the single-family dwelling and states that the restriction runs with the land and binds future purchasers. 4503 without a discretionary hearing, the City has no case-by-case leverage to impose additional rental conditions; the 30-day floor and the no-separate-sale rule are the standing citywide limits an owner must plan around before renting out or transferring an accessory unit.
Violations & Fines
Renting an ADU or JADU for 30 days or less, or conveying it apart from the primary dwelling outside the Government Code Section 66341 exception, is a Municipal Code violation like any other. Under Title 1, Chapter 2, most Code violations are misdemeanors punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail unless charged as an infraction, which carries fines of $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and $500 for each further offense within a year; each day the violation continues is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I rent out my ADU as a short-term or vacation rental in Thousand Oaks?
Can I sell my ADU separately from my house?
What happens if I violate the ADU rental-term or sale restrictions?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Thousand Oaks
California rules heatmap·Compare Thousand Oaks to another location·View the California accessory structures overview
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