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

Del Norte County imposes no liability-insurance requirement on short-term-rental operators because it has no dedicated vacation-rental ordinance. Jurisdictions that mandate insurance typically do so as a permit condition (often requiring a minimum liability policy); since the Board of Supervisors declined to adopt vacation-rental regulations in 2022, there is no County permit and therefore no insurance condition to satisfy. The County's framework centers on tax registration under Chapter 3.08 and general zoning under Title 20 / Title 21 - neither of which requires proof of insurance. That leaves coverage entirely to the operator's own risk management. This matters because standard homeowners policies frequently exclude or limit commercial short-term-rental activity, and the platform programs offered by Airbnb and Vrbo (host protection or liability coverage) are voluntary backstops with their own limits and exclusions rather than a substitute for an appropriate short-term-rental or landlord liability policy. Operators near the redwood coast and rivers should also weigh property-specific risks - guest injuries, water/flood exposure, and wildfire - when deciding on coverage. Because the County could revisit STR regulation, operators should confirm whether any insurance condition has since been adopted; and where a parcel falls under an HOA or a coastal-permit condition, separate insurance or liability requirements could apply independent of the County's general silence on the issue.