Short-Term Rentals in Petaluma, CA (2026)
8 verified short-term rentals rules for Petaluma, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Short-Term Rental Permits
Operating a short-term vacation rental in Petaluma requires a Short-Term Vacation Rental Permit from the Planning Director before any residential, planned unit development, or mixed-use property can be rented to guests; approved hosts must notify every property owner within 100 feet in writing.
Petaluma Short-Term Vacation Rental Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsPetaluma Implementing Zoning Ordinance § 7.110(B)
B. Permit Required. 1. Short-term vacation rentals. Short-term vacation rentals are a permitted use only in residential, planned unit development, and mixed use zoning districts and only pursuant to a valid Short-Term Vacation Rental Permit issued in accordance with this section by the Planning Director or designee of the Planning Director. 2. Notice to Neighbors. Upon approval of a Short-Term ...
Taxes & Fees
Every Petaluma short-term vacation rental must collect and remit the City's Transient Occupancy Tax under Municipal Code Chapter 4.24: a 10 percent tax on rent charged to any guest staying 30 consecutive days or less, on top of the Short-Term Vacation Rental Permit's own tax-compliance condition.
Petaluma Short-Term Rental Transient Occupancy Tax
Some RestrictionsPetaluma Municipal Code §§ 4.24.030, 4.24.070
For the privilege of occupancy in any hotel or private campground, each transient is subject to and shall pay a tax in the amount of ten percent of the rent charged by the operator as of November 5, 1990. Such tax constitutes a debt owed by the transient to the city which is extinguished only by payment to the operator of the hotel or campground at the time the rent is paid. ... If the ... full...
Short-Term Rental Parking Rules
Petaluma requires every Short-Term Vacation Rental application to show on-site parking matching Table 11.1's residential standard, with a narrow credit for street parking or a discretionary exception if the lot cannot meet it.
Petaluma Short-Term Rental Parking Rules
Some RestrictionsPetaluma Implementing Zoning Ordinance § 7.110(H)(3)
3. Parking. The application must show that the applicant can provide: a. Parking. On-site parking for the existing residential use shall be provided as required in Table 11.1 for Dwelling Single Family or Multiple Household, as applicable. The Planning Manager, in his or her sole discretion, may give credit for up to two uncovered spaces on the abutting public street if there is legal non-confo...
Occupancy Limits
Petaluma caps overnight guests at a short-term vacation rental at two people per bedroom plus two more, whether the host is on-site (a hosted rental) or the whole unit is rented out with the host absent (a non-hosted rental, which is separately capped at 90 days per year).
Petaluma Short-Term Rental Occupancy Limits
Some RestrictionsPetaluma Implementing Zoning Ordinance § 7.110(D)(1), (E)(1)(b)-(2)
D. Requirements Applicable to Hosted Short-Term Vacation Rentals. A Short-Term Vacation Rental in which the permittee occupies the property with the guests and is subject to the following requirements: 1. Limit on Maximum Number of Occupants. No more than 2 overnight occupants per bedroom plus 2 additional occupants are permitted. ... ... E. Permit Requirements Applicable to Non-Hosted Short-Te...
Night Caps
Petaluma caps non-hosted short-term vacation rentals, where the owner is not on site, at 90 nights of paid stays per calendar year. Hosted rentals, where the owner lives with the guests, carry no equivalent day limit under the same ordinance.
Petaluma Short-Term Rental Night Cap
Some RestrictionsPetaluma Implementing Zoning Ordinance § 7.110(E)(2)
2. Limitation on Days. The dwelling as a non-hosted vacation rental may be furnished for compensation for no more than 90 days during any calendar year.
Host Presence Rule
Petaluma's zoning ordinance splits short-term vacation rentals into two tracks: hosted, where the permittee lives on site with guests, and non-hosted, where the owner is absent. Each track carries its own occupancy, manager and permit conditions under IZO Section 7.110.
Petaluma Short-Term Rental Host Rule
Some RestrictionsPetaluma Implementing Zoning Ordinance § 7.110(D), (E)
D. Requirements Applicable to Hosted Short-Term Vacation Rentals. A Short-Term Vacation Rental in which the permittee occupies the property with the guests and is subject to the following requirements: ... ... E. Permit Requirements Applicable to Non-Hosted Short-Term Rentals. A Short-Term Vacation Rental in which the permittee does not occupy the property with the guests and is subject to the ...
Repeat Violator Strikes
Petaluma treats three or more verified violations of its short-term rental section as grounds to deny permit renewal and, on confirmation, to revoke the permit outright, with a one-year bar on reapplying at that address.
Petaluma STR Repeat Violator Revocation
Significant RestrictionsPetaluma Implementing Zoning Ordinance § 7.110(I)(3)(b), (J)
b. More than three verified violations of this section; or ... ... J. Revocation of Permit. Upon confirmation of three or more verified violations of this section or other information alleging that a short-term vacation rental has violated or is in violation of any applicable laws, regulations, or other requirements, including, but not limited to, the requirements of this section, the Planning ...
Looking for Sonoma County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Petaluma city rules.
Short-Term Rentals in Sonoma County →