10 rules for unincorporated Siskiyou County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Unincorporated Siskiyou County requires a Vacation Rental (VR) Activity Permit before establishing, advertising, or operating any vacation rental, under Article 61 of the Zoning Code (added by Ordinance 24-04). It is unlawful to operate without one, and other state or county licenses do not exempt an owner from the requirement.
Article 61 requires every Siskiyou County vacation rental to post restrictions on loud noise such as music and parties after 10 P.M., and Section 10-6.6109 prohibits outdoor amplified sound at any time. A licensed property manager must be available 24 hours to address noise and other problems.
Unincorporated Siskiyou County imposes a 12% Uniform Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) on stays of 30 days or fewer under Section 8-4.03 of the County Code. A separate 2% Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) assessment also applies to lodging. VR Activity Permit holders must hold a TOT certificate and business license before the permit issues.
Section 10-6.6104(H) requires a Siskiyou County vacation rental to provide one off-street parking space plus one additional off-street space for each bedroom. Parking restrictions must also be included in the posted notice inside the rental under Section 10-6.6109.
Under Section 10-6.6104, maximum occupancy of a Siskiyou County vacation rental is two occupants per bedroom plus two additional occupants, and may never exceed the capacity of the property's septic system. Occupancy must also meet the Uniform Housing Code and state and local water and sewage disposal regulations.
Article 61 does NOT require a vacation rental owner to carry liability insurance. It instead mandates concrete safety equipment: smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, at least one fire extinguisher per floor, a bear-proof trash receptacle, CAL FIRE defensible-space compliance, and Building and Environmental Health inspections before a permit issues.
Siskiyou County sets no annual cap on the number of nights a vacation rental may operate, but caps per-stay length at 29 consecutive days and limits permit density. In the Dunsmuir/Mount Shasta and Weed/Lake Shastina areas, fewer than 5% of available properties may hold a VR Activity Permit at one time.
VR Activity Permit applications are filed with the Siskiyou County Planning Department under Section 10-6.6105. The owner must submit a site plan, bedroom dimensions, owner and 24-hour manager contact details, proof of CAL FIRE inspection, and certify compliance under penalty of perjury. Neighbors within 300 feet are notified and may object.
Siskiyou County does NOT require the host to be physically present during stays. Instead, Section 10-6.6109(B)(3) requires a professional property management firm located in Siskiyou County to be available on a 24-hour basis, and the rental must post that manager's 24-hour emergency contact for guests.
Siskiyou County does NOT require a vacation rental to be the owner's primary residence. The Board of Supervisors deliberately rejected a residency requirement when adopting Article 61, citing a 2023 court decision (South Lake Tahoe Property Owners Group v. City of South Lake Tahoe) that held residency-based vacation rental restrictions unconstitutional.
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