Short-Term Rentals in Sacramento, CA

Sacramento maintains 188 local ordinances across all categories, and 10 of those deal specifically with short-term rentals. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Sacramento falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Host Presence Rule

Sacramento does not force every short-term rental host to stay on-site. Instead, City Code § 5.114.300(B)(1) lets the city manager impose an on-site presence requirement as a condition on a permit that is being suspended, revoked, or conditioned: a discretionary enforcement tool, not a baseline rule for all rentals.

Key details: Governing section: § 5.114.300(B)(1). Trigger: Permit suspension/revocation/conditioning proceeding. Grounds cross-reference: § 5.114.120 denial grounds. Mandatory for absentee hosts: Local property manager, § 5.114.300(C). Civil penalty: $250–$25,000 per day, § 5.114.040(C).

Any violation of Chapter 5.114, including defying an imposed presence condition, exposes the permittee to criminal sanctions and administrative penalties under Chapter 1.28, plus civil penalties under § 5.114.040(C) of not less than $250 nor more than $25,000 for each day the violation continues, and the conduct is separately declared a public nuisance subject to civil abatement by the city attorney.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Sacramento gives residents more flexibility on host presence rule.

Noise Rules

A history of noise violations can cost a Sacramento host their short-term rental permit. City Code § 5.114.120(E) lets the city manager deny an application when the property owner or occupants have more than once been found in violation of Chapter 8.68, the city's Noise Control chapter.

Key details: Noise chapter cited: Chapter 8.68, Noise Control. Denial threshold: More than one confirmed violation. Governing law: Sacramento City Code § 5.114.120(E). Possible condition: Host must be present during guest hours.

A confirmed pattern of Chapter 8.68 noise violations at a short-term rental is grounds for the city manager to deny a new permit under § 5.114.120(E), and for an existing permit to be suspended, revoked, or conditioned under § 5.114.300(A)(1): including a condition requiring the permittee to be present during guest hours under § 5.114.300(B)(1).

Repeat Violator Strikes

A Sacramento short-term rental permit that was denied or revoked can lock the property out of the program for two years. City Code § 5.114.120(G) makes a prior denial or revocation within two years of a new application a stand-alone ground for the city manager to deny it again.

Key details: Lockout period: Two years from denial or revocation. Applies to: Any ground in §5.114.120(B) through (F). Tied to: The dwelling unit, not just the applicant. Governing law: Sacramento City Code § 5.114.120(G).

Applying for a new permit within two years of a denial or revocation at the same dwelling is grounds for automatic denial under § 5.114.120(G); the applicant may seek review under the Article IV hearing and appeal procedures (§§ 5.114.310–5.136.350) that govern Chapter 5.114 permit actions generally.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Sacramento actively enforces its repeat violator strikes requirements.

Host Platform Liability

Sacramento's short-term rental code reaches booking platforms directly. City Code § 5.114.400 bars a hosting platform from accepting a fee for a booking unless the host holds a valid city permit, and treats the platform as a tax "operator" that must collect and remit the transient occupancy tax and keep records for city inspection.

Key details: Governing section: § 5.114.400. Fee condition: Host must hold valid city permit. Tax duty: Collect/remit TOT per § 3.28.070. Records duty: Keep records per § 3.28.140. District assessment: Platform must collect, § 5.114.410.

Because hosting platforms fall within the chapter's "any person" violation language, noncompliance exposes a platform to the same enforcement track as hosts: criminal sanctions and administrative penalties under Chapter 1.28, civil penalties of $250 to $25,000 per day under § 5.114.040(C), and treatment of the violation as a public nuisance subject to civil abatement by the city attorney.

Occupancy Limits

Sacramento caps every short-term rental at six guests, whether the booking covers a single unit or, for hosts who live elsewhere, an entire lot. City Code § 5.114.200 sets the number and ties it to the short-term rental permit issued under Chapter 5.114, so exceeding the cap is a permit violation as well as a code violation enforceable by the city manager.

Key details: Guest cap per rental: Six people per short-term rental. Off-lot host cap: Six people per lot, not per unit. Governing law: Sacramento City Code § 5.114.200. Civil penalty range: $250 to $25,000 per day. Permit required first: Under § 5.114.100 before any rental.

Renting to more guests than § 5.114.200 allows is a violation of Chapter 5.114 under § 5.114.040: the city attorney may pursue civil penalties of $250 to $25,000 per day the violation continues, criminal sanctions and administrative penalties under Chapter 1.28, and the city manager may suspend, revoke, or condition the permit under § 5.114.300, including by cutting the guest count for future stays.

Primary-Residence-Only Rule

Sacramento bars a host from operating short-term rentals in more than one dwelling unit on the same lot unless that host's primary residence is inside the city. City Code § 5.114.100(D) ties multi-unit short-term renting on a single parcel directly to the operator living in Sacramento.

Key details: Rule: One rented unit per lot unless local resident. Primary residence defined as: 184+ days/year in that unit. Governing law: Sacramento City Code § 5.114.100(D). Also affects: Guest cap (§5.114.200) and annual limit (§5.114.210).

Operating short-term rentals in more than one dwelling unit on a lot without a Sacramento primary residence violates § 5.114.100(D) and is enforceable under § 5.114.040: civil penalties of $250 to $25,000 per day the violation continues, criminal sanctions or administrative penalties under Chapter 1.28, and grounds for permit suspension or revocation under § 5.114.300.

Compared to other cities, Sacramento takes a harder line on primary-residence-only rule. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Short-Term Rental Permits

Every Sacramento short-term rental permittee must keep a written register recording each date lodging was provided, the number of lodgers per night, and the rent charged. City Code § 5.114.220 requires the log be kept in printed form for at least three years, and non-primary-residence hosts must mail an updated copy to the city every January, April, July, and October.

Key details: Register must log: Dates, lodger count, rent paid per night. Retention period: At least three years, printed format. Non-primary hosts file: Quarterly: January, April, July, October. Governing law: Sacramento City Code § 5.114.220. Civil penalty range: $250 to $25,000 per day.

Falsifying or failing to maintain the register required by § 5.114.220 is a violation of Chapter 5.114 enforceable under § 5.114.040: civil penalties of $250 to $25,000 per day the violation continues, criminal sanctions and administrative penalties under Chapter 1.28, and grounds for the city manager to suspend, revoke, or condition the permit under § 5.114.300.

Night Caps

Non-primary-residence short-term rentals in Sacramento are capped at 90 aggregate rented days per permit term. City Code § 5.114.210 imposes the cap only on permittees whose rental is not their primary residence; owner-occupied primary residences carry no such annual limit.

Key details: Annual cap: 90 aggregate days per permit term. Applies only to: Non-primary-residence short-term rentals. Primary residences: No annual day cap under this section. Governing law: Sacramento City Code § 5.114.210. Tracked via: Quarterly register filings, §5.114.220(C).

Providing paid lodging beyond the 90-day aggregate at a non-primary-residence short-term rental violates § 5.114.210 and is enforceable under § 5.114.040 with civil penalties of $250 to $25,000 per day the violation continues; the city manager may also reduce the permittee's allowed rental days going forward as a condition under § 5.114.300(B)(4).

Compared to other cities, Sacramento takes a harder line on night caps. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Taxes & Fees

Sacramento short-term rental permittees owe both the business operations tax under Chapter 3.08 and the uniform transient occupancy tax under Chapter 3.28, on top of a nonrefundable permit application fee and appeal fee the city council sets by resolution. City Code §§ 5.114.020 and 5.114.270 impose the fees and taxes as conditions of operating under Chapter 5.114.

Key details: Permit fees set by: City council resolution, § 5.114.020. Business tax owed: Business operations tax, Chapter 3.08. Lodging tax owed: Uniform transient occupancy tax, Chapter 3.28. Late renewal penalty: Applies if filed under 30 days early. Delinquency consequence: Grounds for permit denial, § 5.114.120(F).

Delinquency on the permit fees, business operations tax, or transient occupancy tax is grounds for the city manager to deny a short-term rental permit application under § 5.114.120(F), and nonpayment along with any other violation of Chapter 5.114 is separately subject to civil penalties of $250 to $25,000 per day under § 5.114.040.

Stays longer than 30 consecutive days fall outside Sacramento's STR ordinance and into landlord-tenant law, including AB 1482 rent caps and the Sacramento Tenant Protection Act, regardless of furnishing or platform.

Key details: STR cutoff: 30 nights or fewer. 31+ nights triggers: Landlord-tenant law. AB 1482 cap: ~5% + CPI annually. Just cause source: Title 5 Ch. 5.156. Deposit max: Per Civil Code 1950.5.

Treating a 30-plus-day occupant as a hotel guest, attempting unilateral lockouts, or refusing required notices can trigger civil penalties, wrongful eviction claims, and tenant attorney's fees.

The rules around extended home share in Sacramento lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

The Bottom Line

Sacramento is tougher than many cities when it comes to short-term rentals. Out of the 10 rules covered here, 3 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Sacramento, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

These rules come from Sacramento's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.