10 rules for unincorporated Imperial County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Unincorporated Imperial County has no dedicated short-term rental or vacation rental ordinance. STRs are governed by the Title 9 Land Use Ordinance instead. Transient lodging is treated as a commercial use (hotel/motel) or guest ranch, neither of which is a permitted use in residential zones, so a discretionary permit is typically required.
Unincorporated Imperial County has no STR-specific noise standard and no numeric decibel ordinance in its Land Use Code. Noise from rentals is handled through the County's general nuisance provisions and the residential-character expectations of the zoning code, plus standard disturbance-of-the-peace enforcement by the Sheriff.
Short-term rentals in unincorporated Imperial County are subject to the County's Transient Occupancy Tax. The County confirms the TOT rate is currently 8%, applied to guest stays of 30 days or less, under Chapter 4.16 of the Code of Ordinances. There is no separate STR licensing fee because the County has no STR ordinance.
No short-term-rental-specific parking rule exists in unincorporated Imperial County. Off-street parking is governed by Title 9, Division 4, Chapter 2 (§ 90402.01), which sets ratios by use: two spaces per single-family dwelling, one space per bedroom for boarding/rooming/residential hotels, and one space per room for hotels and motels.
Unincorporated Imperial County sets no short-term-rental-specific occupancy cap, because it has no STR ordinance. Occupancy is governed indirectly by the Title 9 Land Use Ordinance, the adopted California building and residential codes (Division 10), and general health-and-safety limits rather than a per-guest rental rule.
Unincorporated Imperial County imposes no short-term-rental liability-insurance requirement, because it has no STR ordinance. No minimum coverage amount is set in the Title 9 Land Use Ordinance. Insurance is left to the property owner and any conditions a Conditional Use Permit might attach to a commercial lodging use.
Unincorporated Imperial County sets no annual night cap or limit on rental days for short-term rentals, because it has no STR ordinance. The only day-count threshold that matters is the Transient Occupancy Tax definition of a transient — generally a stay of 30 days or less, which triggers the County's 8% TOT.
There is no short-term rental registration program in unincorporated Imperial County. The only mandatory registration that applies to transient rentals is the Transient Occupancy Tax under Code Chapter 4.16, which requires anyone furnishing lodging to transients to register and collect the County's 8% tax.
Unincorporated Imperial County has no host-presence or on-site-operator requirement for short-term rentals, since it has no STR ordinance. The Title 9 Land Use Ordinance does not mandate that an owner or local contact be present, though a Conditional Use Permit for a lodging use could impose operating conditions.
Unincorporated Imperial County imposes no primary-residence requirement on short-term rentals, because it has not adopted an STR ordinance. Nothing in the Title 9 Land Use Ordinance ties transient rental to owner residency; the controls are zoning use classification and the 8% Transient Occupancy Tax instead.
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