10 rules for unincorporated Trinity County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Trinity County is entirely unincorporated, so the County's zoning code governs all vacation rentals. Establishing a short-term vacation rental is treated as a land use under Title 17, historically allowed as a recreational use with a Director's Use Permit. There is no standalone STR permit ordinance with a flat license fee.
Trinity County has no noise ordinance written specifically for short-term rentals. Guest noise is governed by the County's general noise standards and nuisance rules, which limit exterior noise levels measured in decibels at the property line. Use-permit conditions for a vacation rental may add property-specific quiet-hours or noise limits.
Unincorporated Trinity County levies an 8% Transient Occupancy Tax on rentals of 30 days or less. The operator collects it from the guest at payment and remits it to the Treasurer-Tax Collector. Late operators face penalties up to 20% plus 5% interest per month on delinquent amounts. The rate was previously 5%.
Trinity County's current code has no STR-specific off-street parking mandate; parking is addressed through general zoning. The April 2026 draft zoning code would require one off-street parking space per bedroom for a short-term vacation rental. Until that draft is adopted, parking conditions are set case-by-case through any required use permit.
Trinity County's code does not set a specific guest-count occupancy cap dedicated to short-term vacation rentals. Maximum occupancy is governed instead by general zoning, building and health code limits, septic and water capacity, and any conditions attached to a Director's Use Permit. There is no published per-bedroom or fixed headcount STR limit countywide.
Trinity County's code does not set a mandatory liability-insurance minimum specifically for short-term vacation rentals. No published dollar coverage amount is required countywide. The County can, however, attach insurance or indemnity conditions to a Director's Use Permit, and operators are strongly advised to carry short-term-rental liability coverage.
Trinity County imposes no annual cap on the number of nights a short-term vacation rental may operate. There is no published limit on rented nights per year for unincorporated areas. Rentals may run year-round, subject to the zoning permit pathway, Transient Occupancy Tax, and any conditions on a use permit.
Anyone operating a rental in unincorporated Trinity County for stays of 30 days or less must register with the Treasurer-Tax Collector and obtain a Transient Occupancy Tax certificate. Registration is required within 30 days of starting business, with annual renewal each July. This applies to whole-home and partial-unit rentals, including Airbnb and VRBO listings.
Trinity County does not require a host to be present during a short-term rental stay. Both hosted and unhosted (whole-home) rentals are allowed under the County's zoning and tax framework. The code does not mandate on-site hosting, though use-permit conditions may require a designated, responsive local contact.
Trinity County does not restrict short-term vacation rentals to an owner's primary residence. Non-owner-occupied and second-home rentals are allowed, subject to the zoning permit pathway and Transient Occupancy Tax registration. No primary-residence-only cap or homestead requirement appears in the County code for STRs.
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