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

A full reading of Section 7-9-93 shows the ordinance does not impose an annual night cap (a maximum number of rented nights per year) on short-term rentals in unincorporated Orange County, nor a separate minimum-night stay requirement beyond the definitional threshold. The only durational concept in the section is the definition itself: a 'short-term rental' is a rental of all or any part of a dwelling unit as lodging 'for a period of less than thirty (30) days.' Stays of 30 days or more fall outside the STR definition (and outside the 10% Transient Occupancy Tax, which applies to stays of 30 days or less). Rather than limiting how many nights per year a host may operate, the County controls impacts through other standards in Section 7-9-93: the two-off-street-parking minimum, the bedroom-based vehicle cap, the two-persons-per-bedroom-plus-two overnight occupancy limit, the quiet-hours noise standard, and the two-year permit renewal cycle. This contrasts with some other jurisdictions that cap unhosted rentals at a set number of nights per year. Hosts should still confirm that any planned community, specific plan, or homeowners-association rules applicable to their parcel do not add private restrictions, since Section 7-9-93 applies in planned community and specific plan areas.