Colusa County, CA Short-Term Rentals: Night Caps (2026)

Unincorporated Colusa County does not impose a night cap or a maximum number of rental nights per year for short-term rentals. Because the County regulates overnight stays through the Zoning Code's lodging uses and the transient occupancy tax rather than a dedicated STR ordinance, the only night-related threshold is definitional. County Code Section 18A-2 defines a 'transient' as a person occupying lodging 'for a period of thirty consecutive calendar days or less,' so stays of 30 days or fewer are taxable transient occupancies. That threshold determines which stays are subject to the 4% TOT; it does not cap the total number of nights a lodging use may operate. A permitted farmstay, bed-and-breakfast inn, or other recreational lodging facility may host transient guests throughout the year, subject to the operating standards and any conditions in its Use Permit. The Code does cap certain time-limited or seasonal activities elsewhere - for example, seasonal sales are limited to 35 consecutive days no more than three times a year, duck clubs limit on-site residency to six months, and emergency shelters cap stays at six months - but none of these apply as a night cap to short-term lodging. Hosts should still verify that there are no project-specific limits attached to their permit, since a Use Permit can carry tailored conditions.