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Petaluma, CA Short-Term Rentals: Extended Home Share (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Permit issuer
Planning Director or designee
Hosted occupancy limit
2 per bedroom plus 2 extra
Manager response time
1 hour, at all times
Neighbor notice radius
100 feet of the rental
Business license
Required under PMC Chapter 6.01
Permit expiration
December 31 each year

Summary

Petaluma requires a Short-Term Vacation Rental Permit from the Planning Director before any home is rented for a stay under 30 days. In a hosted rental, where the permittee lives on the property with guests, the arrangement functions as an extended home share: unlike a non-hosted rental, it carries no 90-day annual cap on the number of nights it can be rented.

B. Permit Required. ... 1. Short-term vacation rentals. ... Short-term vacation rentals are a permitted use only in residential, planned unit development, and mixed use zoning districts and only pursuant to a valid Short-Term Vacation Rental Permit issued in accordance with this section by the Planning Director or designee of the Planning Director. ... ... D. Requirements Applicable to Hosted Short-Term Vacation Rentals. A Short-Term Vacation Rental in which the permittee occupies the property with the guests and is subject to the following requirements: 1. Limit on Maximum Number of Occupants. No more than 2 overnight occupants per bedroom plus 2 additional occupants are permitted. ... 2. Manager. ... The permittee must be available at all times and be able to respond to complaints within 1 hour.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2931 NCS, passed July 6, 2026).

Full Breakdown

110, a Short-Term Vacation Rental Permit is issued by the Planning Director or designee, and property owners within 100 feet of the rental must be notified in writing of its location, room count, and the locally-available manager's contact information. Hosted rentals allow no more than 2 overnight occupants per bedroom plus 2 additional occupants, and no more than two bedrooms in the dwelling may be furnished for compensation; if the whole unit is an accessory or secondary dwelling, it may be rented as a single party under one rental agreement.

The permittee-manager must be available at all times and able to respond to complaints within one hour. Every host must give guests a written manual covering the manager's contact information, the Chapter 21 Performance Standards, and parking limitations; on-site signage advertising the rental is prohibited. 01 of the Petaluma Municipal Code and must collect the City's transient occupancy tax; every advertisement must display the City-issued permit number. Accessory dwelling units permitted after September 7, 2017, cannot be rented as short-term vacation rentals at all, hosted or not.

Permits expire every December 31 and must be renewed; the Director may deny a renewal for unpaid transient occupancy taxes, more than three verified violations in the prior 12 months, false information in the application, or a documented health or safety violation.

Violations & Fines

Advertising a short-term rental without a valid permit number is itself a violation of the ordinance. After three or more verified violations in a calendar year, the Planning Director may commence revocation proceedings under Section 24.060(G); once revoked, the rental may not reopen and no new application may be filed for one year. The City may pursue any remedy available under Chapter 26 (Enforcement) or Title 1 of the Petaluma Municipal Code, and unresolved neighbor disputes may go to a mediator at the parties' shared expense.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a limit on how many nights I can rent as a hosted short-term rental in Petaluma?
No. IZO Section 7.110(E)(2) caps non-hosted rentals, where the owner is absent, at 90 days per calendar year, but that day limit does not apply to hosted rentals where the permittee lives on site with guests, making a hosted rental function as an ongoing extended home share as long as the permit stays valid and in good standing.
How many guests can stay in a hosted short-term vacation rental?
Petaluma limits occupancy to 2 overnight occupants per bedroom plus 2 additional occupants, and no more than two bedrooms in the home may be rented for compensation under Section 7.110(D)(1); if the entire unit is an accessory dwelling, it may be rented to one party under a single rental agreement instead.
What happens if neighbors complain about my short-term rental?
The designated manager must be reachable at all times and respond to any complaint within one hour under Section 7.110(D)(2). After three or more verified violations in a year the City can revoke the permit, and once revoked no new application may be filed at that address for one year under Section 7.110(J).

Sources & Official References

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