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

Madera County's published rules do not mandate that the owner or a host stay on the property while guests are present. Whole-home, unhosted rentals are common in the County's mountain-tourism areas, and the County's tax registration program treats operators the same regardless of whether anyone lives on site. The proposed Short-Term Vacation Rental Ordinance was described in County materials and Planning Commission coverage as a framework of a non-transferable STVR permit and operational standards - occupancy tied to unit size, adequate on-site parking, quiet hours and noise limits, trash containers and disposal, and fire-code and defensible-space compliance - not as an owner-occupancy or host-presence mandate. Ordinances of this type commonly require operators to designate a responsible local contact person who can respond to issues promptly, which substitutes for an on-site host; that contact requirement is the likely mechanism, but the exact wording was not published while the ordinance was in draft. As of mid-2026 the Board of Supervisors had not adopted the ordinance, so no host-presence rule is in force. Operators should confirm the final adopted contact-person and presence provisions with the Planning Division. We do not assert a specific host-presence requirement because none has been published in an adopted Madera County ordinance.