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

Del Norte County has no host-presence requirement for short-term rentals because it never adopted a dedicated vacation-rental ordinance. There is no rule that the owner live on-site, remain on the premises during a guest stay, or designate a 24-hour local contact or responsible person - requirements that some California jurisdictions impose as permit conditions. The Board of Supervisors' 2022 decision not to regulate vacation rentals left hosting as an ordinary residential use of the property, governed by the County's general framework: tax registration under Chapter 3.08 and the zoning that applies to the parcel under Title 20 or Title 21. The Tax Collector's process likewise focuses on registering for the Transient Occupancy Tax and keeping records, not on naming a local manager. That said, because complaints are handled through the County's general nuisance provisions and Sheriff response rather than through a designated-contact system, having a responsive local contact is a practical necessity for after-hours noise, parking, or emergency issues - even though the County does not require one. Operators in remote unincorporated areas should consider how quickly they or a manager could respond. Because the County could revisit STR regulation, operators should confirm whether any local-contact or response-time requirement has since been adopted before relying on the current absence of one.