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

There is no host-presence, on-site-manager, or designated-local-contact requirement for short-term rentals in the Tulare County Ordinance Code. The countywide STR ordinance debated in 2024 would have required signage posting the host's contact information at the front of every property, a feature meant to give neighbors a way to reach a responsible party, but the Board of Supervisors rejected the ordinance 3-2 on July 9, 2024. With no ordinance adopted, hosts are not required to live on-site, to remain within a set distance, or to designate a 24/7 local contact. The only operator-identification requirement in the code is indirect and tax-related: under Transient Occupancy Tax Law section 1-05-1380, the operator must register with the Tax Collector and prominently display the Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate in the rental, which shows the operator's name and the property address. That certificate is for tax purposes and is not a substitute for a responsible-party or host-presence rule. Neighbors with concerns about an unmanaged rental rely on the Sheriff and on the Public Nuisance Ordinance (Part IV, Chapter 1) rather than on a code-mandated local contact, since none exists.