10 rules for unincorporated Plumas County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Unincorporated Plumas County has no dedicated short-term rental or vacation rental permit. Whole-home STRs are not a defined zoning use; operators instead register for Transient Occupancy Tax under Ordinance No. 544. Bed and breakfast inns are the only transient-lodging use spelled out for residential zones.
Plumas County has no STR-specific noise ordinance. Vacation rental noise is handled through general nuisance and land-use noise standards and enforced by the Sheriff. Loud parties or gatherings are reported to the Sheriff's non-emergency line at (530) 283-6300.
Unincorporated Plumas County levies a 9% Transient Occupancy Tax on rentals of 30 days or less under Ordinance No. 544. A separate Feather River Tourism Management District lodging assessment (about 2%) is added on most lodging, bringing the guest's total to roughly 11%.
No STR-specific parking standard exists for unincorporated Plumas County. Vacation rentals follow the County's general off-street parking rule of two spaces per dwelling unit (Sec. 9-2.414). Bed and breakfast inns must screen on-site parking from the street.
Plumas County sets no STR-specific occupancy cap for unincorporated areas. Whole-home rentals are limited only by general dwelling, building, and septic standards. Bed and breakfast inns, by contrast, are capped at five guest rooms under Sec. 9-2.213.5.
Unincorporated Plumas County imposes no liability-insurance requirement on short-term rentals. Because there is no STR ordinance, the County mandates no minimum coverage. Insurance is governed by the operator's own policy, lender, or HOA, not by county code.
Unincorporated Plumas County sets no annual night cap or rental-day limit on short-term rentals. There is no maximum number of nights a vacation rental may be booked. The only relevant threshold is that stays of 30 days or less are taxable as transient occupancy.
Anyone renting a unit for 30 days or less in unincorporated Plumas County must register with the Treasurer-Tax Collector under Uniform TOT Ordinance No. 544 and obtain a Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate before operating. There is no separate planning-side STR registry.
Unincorporated Plumas County imposes no host-presence requirement on short-term rentals. Unhosted whole-home rentals are allowed. Only the bed and breakfast inn use requires the owner or manager to reside on the property under Sec. 9-2.213.5.
Plumas County Code, Title 9, Sec. 9-2.213.5 (2024 zoning ordinance)
"Bed and breakfast inn" shall mean a lodging facility where: (a) The maximum number of guest rooms ... (1) Does not exceed five (5) ...; (b) The owner or manager resides on the property; (c) Meals are served to guests of the inn only; (d) On-site parking is adequately screened from view from the street.
Unincorporated Plumas County does not require a short-term rental to be the operator's primary residence. Non-owner-occupied vacation rentals are not prohibited by any STR ordinance. Only bed and breakfast inns must have an on-site owner or manager (Sec. 9-2.213.5).
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