Short-Term Rentals in Mendocino County, CA (2026)
4 rules for unincorporated Mendocino County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Short-Term Rental Permits
In unincorporated Mendocino County, vacation rentals are regulated differently by zone. Coastal-zone rentals need a business license plus any required coastal development permit; the Town of Mendocino requires County certification (deemed a minor use permit). Inland areas had no STR permit rules; a countywide ordinance is in development.
Mendocino County Short-Term Rental Permit Requirements
Some RestrictionsMendocino County Code Sec. 20.748.015 (Regulation)
Prior to the issuance of any new license for a Single Unit Rental or Vacation Home Rental, the Applicant must first apply to the Department of Planning and Building Services for certification... Certification by the Department of Planning and Building Services shall be deemed to satisfy the minor use permitting requirements of this Chapter for licensed Single Unit Rentals and Vacation Home Rent...
Noise Rules
Coastal and Town vacation rentals must not create noise exceeding the County General Plan's exterior and interior noise standards (Tables 3-J and 3-L). Mendocino County lacks a stand-alone numeric noise ordinance, so the proposed inland rules rely on a Good Neighbor Policy and complaint-based enforcement instead.
Mendocino County Short-Term Rental Noise Rules
Some RestrictionsMendocino County Code Sec. 20.748.020(H) (Noise Limitations)
Vacation Home Rental and/or Single Unit Rental uses shall not create noise impacts to surrounding properties and uses that exceed noise standards set out in the County's General Plan Development Element, Table 3-J, Exterior Noise Level Standards (Levels not to be Exceeded More than 30 Minutes in an Hour) and Table 3-L, Maximum Acceptable Interior Noise Levels Created by Exterior Noise Sources.
Taxes & Fees
Every Mendocino County vacation home rental and single unit rental must collect an 8% transient occupancy tax plus a 2% voter-approved add-on, for 10% total, and register with the Tax Administrator before opening for business.
Mendocino County Short-Term Rental Occupancy Tax
Some RestrictionsMendocino County Code Sec. 5.20.030 and Sec. 5.20.031; see also Sec. 20.748.020(B)
For the privilege of occupancy in any lodging establishment, each transient is subject to and shall pay a tax in the amount of eight percent (8%) of the rent charged by the operator... In addition to the eight percent (8%) occupancy tax authorized by Section 5.20.030, this Section authorizes the reinstatement of an additional two percent (2%) of the rent charged by an operator and payable by a ...
Night Caps
Within the Town of Mendocino, County Code caps licensed Vacation Home Rentals at 10 and Single Unit Rentals at 20 total, with new applications only granted while the county is under those numbers and a waiting list for the rest.
Mendocino County Vacation Rental Cap in Mendocino
Significant RestrictionsMendocino County Code Sec. 20.748.020(A) (Number of Units)
To preserve Town character and maintain the Town as a residential community with limited commercial services, the County shall maintain no more than ten (10) Vacation Home Rentals and twenty (20) Single Unit Rentals subsequent to the effective date of this Section. The County shall not require any reduction in the number of licensed Vacation Home Rentals or Single Unit Rentals in existence on t...
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