Short-Term Rentals in Monterey County, CA (2026)

Monterey County Code Chapter 7.120 (added by Ord. 24-027, eff. 10/14/2024)

Chapter 7.120 - VACATION RENTAL OPERATION LICENSE. A vacation rental operation license is required for any vacation rental operation in the unincorporated area of the County of Monterey, in addition to a business license issued pursuant to Section 7.02.060.

Monterey County Code § 7.120.040(G)

G.Vacation rentals are prohibited at all times of day and night from making, assisting in making, allowing, creating, or causing to be made outside amplified sound. Vacation rentals shall also comply with Chapter 10.60 of the Monterey County Code, specifically including adherence to nighttime noise and quiet time requirements set forth in Section 10.60.040.

Monterey County Code § 7.120.040(C), (D)

C.The operator shall register the vacation rental with the County and obtain a Transient Occupancy Tax Certificate in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 5.40 of the Monterey County Code.D.The operator shall obtain a business license from the County pursuant to Chapter 7.02 of the Monterey County Code before commencing the vacation rental use and must keep a valid business license through...

Monterey County Code § 21.64.290(F)(6)

Commercial vacation rentals shall provide parking as required for the dwelling type by Monterey County Code Section 21.58.040, or the applicable parking regulations at the time the dwelling was built.

Monterey County Code Chapter 7.120 (Vacation Rental Operation License)

The vacation rental operation license shall specify the maximum overnight occupancy and maximum daytime occupancy of the vacation rental and shall require compliance with quiet hours from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. and a prohibition on outdoor amplified sound.

Monterey County Code § 7.120.020(N); § 7.120.060(B)

N."Limited vacation rental" means a vacation rental that is non-hosted and rented for not more than three times per 12-month period. ... B.Limited vacation rentals are limited to only one rental contract at any given time and only one rental contract per seven-day period.

Monterey County Code § 7.120.040(I)

I.All vacation rentals must have a property manager who is available twenty-four (24) hours per day, during all times that the property is rented as a vacation rental. The Property Manager must be able to respond to complaints and arrive at the site within thirty (30) minutes. The operator shall provide the name of the property manager and their contact information to the County prior to County...

Monterey County Code § 7.120.020(J), (S)

J."Homestay" means a vacation rental in which the owner occupies at least one bedroom within the vacation rental while it is being rented as a vacation rental. The vacation rental must be the owner's primary residence. ... S."Owner's primary residence" means a residential property lived in by the owner for at least one hundred eighty-three (183) days, which is documented by at least two of the ...

Monterey County Code § 7.120.050(A)-(C)

A.Homestays are an allowable use in designated zoning districts, pursuant to Titles 20 and 21 of the Monterey County Code, and shall meet all the requirements for Homestays in Section 20.64.290 or Section 21.64.290.B.Homestays are limited to only one rental contract at any given time and only one rental contract per seven-day period.C.The maximum occupancy limits for homestays are as follows:1....

Monterey County Code § 7.120.160(D)

The Enforcement Officer may issue an administrative citation for the violation of this Chapter as a civil penalty as follows:1.A civil penalty not exceeding one hundred seventy-five (175) percent of the maximum advertised rental rate per day, or part thereof, or one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) per day, or part thereof, for vacation rentals without an advertised rental rate, for a first violati...

Monterey County Code § 7.120.080(A), (F), (G)

A.The hosting platform shall require the operator for each listing to include the license number in the advertisement on the hosting platform in unincorporated Monterey County. ... F.Hosting platforms, within ten (10) calendar days of receiving notice from the County of non-compliant listings, shall remove those listings from their hosting platform.G.The County may fine a hosting platform an am...