Ventura County, CA Short-Term Rentals: Insurance Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum coverage
- $500,000 per occurrence
- Coverage type
- Commercial/business general liability
- Covered claims
- Personal injury and property damage
- Proof required
- With every permit application
- Shown on request to
- Planning Director or designee
- Geographic scope
- Unincorporated county only
Summary
Unincorporated Ventura County will not issue a homeshare or short-term rental permit unless the owner carries a commercial general liability policy of at least $500,000 per occurrence, and Ordinance Code § 8109-4.6.9.6 requires proof of that coverage with every permit application.
The owner shall maintain an insurance policy that includes coverage for commercial/business general liability with a minimum limit of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000.00) per occurrence for claims of personal injury or property damage. Proof of such insurance coverage shall be provided with each permit application under this Section, and shall be made available to the Planning Director or designee upon request.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 51).
Full Breakdown
6. The owner, not the guest or a booking platform, is the person who "shall maintain" the policy, so coverage has to stay in force for as long as the rental operates, not just on the day the application is filed. The policy must be a commercial or business general liability policy, and it must cover claims of personal injury and claims of property damage. 00), measured per occurrence, meaning the floor attaches to each incident rather than being spread across the life of the policy.
Proof of coverage is required in both directions the section names: it must be submitted with each permit application, and it must also be made available to the Planning Director or a designee whenever they ask, so documentation has to stay current between applications. Because this sits in the County Ordinance Code, it reaches only unincorporated Ventura County land. The ten incorporated cities, including Oxnard and Thousand Oaks, run their own separate short-term rental programs with their own insurance rules.
Violations & Fines
The stated consequence runs through the permit itself: failing to maintain the $500,000 liability policy or to document it can lead to denial, non-renewal, or revocation of the homeshare or short-term rental permit by the Planning Division. That failure is separate from occupancy and noise violations under the same Section 8109-4.6, so fixing one does not cure the other.
Frequently Asked Questions
What insurance does an unincorporated Ventura County short-term rental need?
When do I have to prove I have the coverage?
Does this insurance rule apply inside Oxnard or Thousand Oaks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ventura County
California rules heatmap·Compare Ventura County to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview
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