Santa Rosa, CA Short-Term Rentals: Host Presence Rule (2026)
Key Facts
- Presence requirement
- Host lives/sleeps in unit during rental
- Proof required
- Sworn affidavit at application
- Hosted permits
- No citywide cap, allowed in all zones
- Max per owner
- One Hosted STR permit
- Unpermitted operation fine
- $1,500 first offense
Summary
A Hosted Short-Term Rental in Santa Rosa only qualifies if the owner actually lives there. City Code Section 20-48.030 defines a Hosted Short-Term Rental as one where, throughout the rental period, the Host lives and sleeps in the Dwelling Unit or in another legal Dwelling Unit on the same parcel. Every hosted application must include a sworn affidavit confirming it.
Hosted Short-Term Rental.A Short-Term Rental where, throughout the Short-Term Rental period, the Host lives and sleeps in the Dwelling Unit or lives and sleeps in another legal Dwelling Unit on the same parcel, which parcel is the Owner's principal residence as defined herein. ... Hosted Short-Term Rental Application Affidavit. All applications for a Hosted Short-Term Rental Permit shall require the submittal of an affidavit documenting that the Host lives and sleeps in the Dwelling Unit or lives and sleeps in another legal Dwelling Unit on the same parcel, one of which is which parcel is the Owner's principal residence as defined herein, throughout the Short-Term Rental period, as defined in Section 20-48.030.
Full Breakdown
030 builds the presence requirement into the definition itself: a Short-Term Rental is only "Hosted" if, throughout the rental period, the Host lives and sleeps in the Dwelling Unit being rented, or lives and sleeps in another legal Dwelling Unit on the same parcel. 040(B)(1)(d) requires every Hosted Short-Term Rental Permit application to include an affidavit documenting that the Host actually lives and sleeps in the unit, or in another legal unit on the same parcel, throughout the rental period. Hosted status carries real advantages that make the presence rule worth policing: Hosted Short-Term Rental Permits are allowed in every City zoning district with no citywide cap on the number issued and no separation requirement between them, unlike Non-Hosted rentals, which are capped at 182 permits citywide and must sit at least 1,000 feet apart.
A Short-Term Rental Owner may hold only one Hosted Short-Term Rental permit within city limits at a time. Because Non-Hosted rentals face the numeric cap and separation rule that Hosted rentals escape entirely, an owner who is not actually present is really operating a Non-Hosted rental and needs the harder-to-get, now-closed Non-Hosted permit type instead.
Violations & Fines
Misrepresenting host presence on the affidavit, or renting out a unit as "Hosted" when the owner does not actually live and sleep there, is grounds for permit denial or revocation as a Chapter 20-48 violation. Operating a Short-Term Rental without a valid permit matching its actual hosted or non-hosted status draws an administrative citation of $1,500 for a first offense, $3,000 for a second, and $5,000 for a third or later violation within 12 months under Table 48.1.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the owner have to be home during a Santa Rosa hosted short-term rental?
How does the City verify the host is actually present?
Can one owner run more than one hosted rental in Santa Rosa?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Rosa
California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Rosa to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview
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Host Presence Rule in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Sonoma County handle host presence rule.