Primary-Residence-Only Rule
Sacramento requires that a short-term rental be the operator's primary residence, occupied at least 183 days per year, preventing investor-owned full-time vacation rentals in residential zones under Title 5 Chapter 5.114.
Short-Term Rentals in Sacramento, CA (2026)
13 verified short-term rentals rules for Sacramento, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Permit Requirements
Sacramento City Code §5.114 requires all STRs to obtain a Short-Term Rental Zoning Permit plus a Business Operations Tax certificate. Application fee is $452.66. Primary residence rentals are permitted year-round; non-primary residences are capped at 90 rental days per year. ADUs built after January 1, 2020 cannot be used as STRs.
Sacramento Short-Term Rental Permits
Some RestrictionsNoise Rules
Sacramento short-term rental hosts must post quiet hours from 10 PM to 7 AM and meet SMC 8.68 decibel limits; three substantiated noise violations can revoke the STR permit.
STR Noise Rules in Sacramento
Heavy RestrictionsTaxes & Fees
Sacramento STR operators must collect 12 percent Transient Occupancy Tax, 1 percent Sacramento Tourism BID, and pay an annual STR permit fee of roughly 250 dollars.
STR Taxes and Fees in Sacramento
Some RestrictionsParking Rules
Sacramento STRs must provide the number of off-street parking spaces required by zoning and clearly list parking rules in the guest house manual.
STR Parking Rules in Sacramento
Some RestrictionsOccupancy Limits
Sacramento caps short-term rental occupancy at two guests per bedroom plus two additional, not to exceed ten total overnight guests per property.
STR Occupancy Limits in Sacramento
Heavy RestrictionsInsurance Requirements
Sacramento STR permit applicants must certify liability insurance of at least 500,000 dollars; platform host protection programs can satisfy the requirement.
STR Insurance Requirements in Sacramento
Some RestrictionsNight Caps
Sacramento limits non-hosted short-term rentals to 90 rental nights per calendar year; hosted (owner-occupied) STRs have no annual cap.
STR Night Caps in Sacramento
Heavy RestrictionsRegistration Rules
Sacramento requires annual STR permits, a Business Operations Tax certificate, and display of the permit number in every listing.
STR Registration Rules in Sacramento
Heavy RestrictionsHost Presence Rule
Sacramento distinguishes hosted short-term rentals (host on-site) from unhosted whole-home rentals, with stricter night caps and different permitting tiers applied to unhosted operations under Title 5 Chapter 5.114.
Hosted vs. unhosted short-term rentals
Some RestrictionsRepeat Violator Strikes
Sacramento STR permits face revocation after repeated violations such as noise complaints, occupancy breaches, or unpermitted operation, with a strike-based escalation framework administered through code enforcement and Title 5.
Three-strike STR permit revocation
Heavy RestrictionsHost Platform Liability
Booking platforms operating in Sacramento must verify permit numbers, collect transient occupancy tax, and remove unpermitted listings on City notice, sharing enforcement burden with hosts under Title 5 Chapter 5.114.
Booking platform responsibilities
Some RestrictionsLooking for Sacramento County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Sacramento city rules.
Short-Term Rentals in Sacramento County →