10 rules for unincorporated Inyo County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Unincorporated Inyo County requires a Planning Department permit to operate a short-term rental under County Code Chapter 18.73. All permits must be hosted. STRs are allowed only in OS, RR, R-1 and R-2 zones, and a county-wide moratorium has suspended acceptance of new permit applications since December 2022.
Hosted short-term rentals in unincorporated Inyo County are subject to quiet hours from 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. under Chapter 18.73, and outdoor amplified sound is prohibited. The on-site host must be reachable to respond to noise complaints during every stay.
Short-term rentals in unincorporated Inyo County are subject to a 12% Transient Occupancy Tax under County Code Chapter 3.20 (Section 3.20.030). Operators collect the tax from guests and remit it quarterly to the Treasurer-Tax Collector. Failure to remit is a misdemeanor under county code.
Inyo County Code Chapter 18.73 allows a maximum of one vehicle per guestroom at a short-term rental, and the owner must provide off-street parking for all allowed vehicles. These parking limits must be stated in the rental agreement and in all advertisements for the rental.
Under Inyo County Code Chapter 18.73, short-term rentals in unincorporated areas are limited to two renters per guestroom, not counting children three years old and under. Because all rentals must be hosted, the host occupies a portion of the dwelling during every stay.
Inyo County Code Chapter 18.73 requires owners to maintain insurance applicable to short-term rental activities on the dwelling where the rental occurs. The ordinance mandates that such coverage be kept in force but does not, in its text, set a specific minimum coverage dollar amount.
Inyo County's Chapter 18.73 does not cap the number of nights a hosted rental may operate; instead it caps the total number of short-term rental permits in each designated area (from about 2 in the Starlite area to 29 in the South/Southeast County). A moratorium has also halted new permits since December 2022.
To operate a short-term rental in unincorporated Inyo County, an owner must obtain a Planning Department permit under Chapter 18.73 and separately register with the Inyo County Treasurer-Tax Collector to collect and remit Transient Occupancy Tax. Each permit requires an on-parcel host and current emergency-contact information.
Inyo County requires an on-site host for every short-term rental in unincorporated areas. Under Chapter 18.73, the owner or a designated representative must reside on the parcel for the entire duration of each guest stay and be readily available to handle questions or complaints.
Inyo County does not allow non-hosted whole-house short-term rentals in unincorporated areas. Since the February 2020 amendment, Chapter 18.73 requires all short-term rentals to be hosted, with the owner or a designated representative residing on the parcel during every guest stay.
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