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

Unincorporated Calaveras County imposes no liability-insurance requirement on short-term-rental operators. When the County's draft countywide Short-Term Vacation Rental Ordinance was reviewed by the Planning Commission and public in 2025, commenters expressly observed that the draft contained no requirement that the short-term-rental owner carry liability insurance to cover harm done to the property of neighbors. This sets Calaveras apart from jurisdictions that mandate a minimum liability policy (often several hundred thousand to one million dollars) as a permit condition. The County's emphasis has instead been on tax registration under Chapter 3.12 and, in the four Lake Tulloch subdivisions, on land-use conditions under Chapter 20.20 - neither of which is reported to require insurance. Independently of County rules, hosting platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo provide their own host protection or liability programs, and standard homeowners policies frequently exclude commercial short-term-rental activity, so most operators carry a short-term-rental or landlord liability policy as a matter of prudent risk management even though the County does not compel it. Because the countywide ordinance had not been adopted as of mid-2025, operators should confirm with Calaveras County Planning whether any insurance condition was later added, and should not assume a platform program substitutes for adequate coverage. Operators in HOA-governed Lake Tulloch subdivisions should also check association rules, which may impose insurance or liability requirements independent of the County.