Mendocino County, CA Short-Term Rentals: Insurance Requirements (2026)

Mendocino County's enacted short-term rental provisions do not contain a specific insurance or liability-coverage requirement. Chapter 20.748 (Town of Mendocino) and the certified coastal-zone provisions address licensing, number caps, primary use, taxes, and noise, but do not set a minimum liability-insurance amount for operators. When the Board of Supervisors directed staff to draft a countywide inland ordinance in February 2026, the discussion centered on a Good Neighbor Policy, fire and safety information, code-violation enforcement, and a three-strike model (three verified violations within a 12-month period, with multiple issues found in one visit counting as a single violation), and did not establish an insurance mandate. Operators should nonetheless carry adequate liability insurance as a matter of prudence and because hosting platforms and lenders frequently require it; standard homeowner policies often exclude commercial short-term rental activity, so a dedicated short-term-rental or commercial policy is commonly recommended. Because the inland ordinance remained in draft as of mid-2026, operators should verify with Planning and Building Services whether any insurance or indemnification condition is ultimately adopted, and check separate requirements imposed by booking platforms.