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

Host presence in unincorporated Calaveras County is governed by a management-contact approach rather than a physical-presence mandate. As of mid-2025 there was no adopted countywide rule requiring an owner or manager to live on-site or remain on the premises during a guest stay. The County's draft countywide Short-Term Vacation Rental Ordinance reviewed in 2025 directly addressed this: it provided that on-site resident managers are not required and that a unit may be managed by somebody who is off-site but on call to respond to issues. This is consistent with the draft's allowance of whole-home, non-owner-occupied rentals. Public commenters noted that an off-site-but-on-call model puts a premium on the responsiveness of the designated contact, especially for after-hours noise or parking complaints that the County and Sheriff might otherwise have to handle directly; the draft's lack of a clear definition of a prohibited party was raised as a related enforcement gap. In the four regulated Lake Tulloch subdivisions, Chapter 20.20 governs short-term-rental conduct, but the County's overall approach has not centered on requiring a host to be physically present. Because the countywide ordinance had not been adopted as of mid-2025, operators should confirm whether a local emergency-contact or manager-response-time requirement has since been adopted, and most hosts will in any case want a reliable local contact for emergencies and bookings.