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

The reviewed text of Section 17.108.180 contains no limit on the number of nights per year a vacation rental may operate, and no county-wide cap or density limit on the total number of permitted vacation rentals. The only night-related boundary is the definition of transient occupancy itself: the TOT and the vacation-rental framework apply to stays of less than 30 consecutive days, so a 'vacation rental' is inherently a short-stay use, while stays of 30 days or more are not transient occupancy and fall outside this chapter. There is no provision capping annual rental nights, no licensing lottery, and no hard ceiling on the number of certificates issued countywide in the code text reviewed. The County does control growth indirectly through the bedroom limit (max three for vacation rentals), the 10-occupant cap, septic and water capacity requirements, parking standards, and the safety-inspection and area-plan review process. Because Mariposa is Yosemite's main gateway, vacation rentals are a major industry and the County's approach regulates each facility's intensity rather than imposing a fixed cap on the number or the number of nights. Operators in specific planning areas (Wawona, Fish Camp, Yosemite West) should confirm whether any adopted area plan adds location-specific limits, as those plans can carry standards beyond the countywide rules.