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

Many jurisdictions cap STR activity, either limiting the total nights a property may be rented annually (for example, 90 nights for un-hosted rentals) or capping the total number of STR permits issued countywide. Unincorporated Nevada County does neither, because it has not adopted a dedicated short-term rental ordinance. There is no annual rental-night limit for ordinary dwellings and no countywide permit cap in the unincorporated area. (By contrast, the well-publicized cap of 1,255 short-term rental permits and the 365-day waiting period after a home sale apply to the Town of Truckee, an incorporated jurisdiction, not to unincorporated Nevada County.) The only night-related threshold at the county level is the definition used for taxation: the Transient Occupancy Tax applies to stays of 30 days or less, which distinguishes a taxable transient stay from a longer-term tenancy. A separate 30-day floor applies to accessory dwelling units permitted under the County's post-April 2019 rules, which generally cannot be rented for periods under 30 days. Aside from those tax and ADU thresholds, an unincorporated-area operator may rent an eligible dwelling on a short-term basis throughout the year without hitting a county-imposed night cap, provided they register for and remit TOT and comply with general building, fire, noise, and nuisance rules.