Colusa County, CA Short-Term Rentals: Host Presence Rule (2026)

Colusa County does not impose a stand-alone 24/7 host-presence or local-contact requirement through a short-term-rental ordinance. The practical equivalent comes from the owner-occupancy built into the lodging uses. A farmstay is defined in the Zoning Code as 'a form of agricultural tourism where a farmer or rancher hosts tourists at their farm or ranch to familiarize the visitors with the daily activities associated with farming or ranching,' and farmstays 'are a secondary use to the primary agricultural use of a property' - a definition that contemplates an on-site, active host. Section 44-4.100.020(C) requires the farmstay property owner to 'reside in either the primary or secondary dwelling on-site,' and Section 44-4.100.040(3) requires the same for a bed-and-breakfast inn. Together these mean the host is generally present at the property during guest stays for these uses. The Code does not specify a designated 'local responsible party' for unhosted rentals because unhosted whole-house rentals are not an expressly listed use; an operator pursuing that arrangement via Use Permit could be required, as a condition of approval, to provide on-site management or contact arrangements. For ancillary events, an applicant must submit an on-site management plan in some contexts (the Code requires written on-site management plans for related uses such as emergency shelters and adult businesses). Confirm any host-presence or local-contact conditions with Planning and Building during permit review.