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

Some jurisdictions cap how many nights per year a short-term rental may operate, often to protect housing stock. Santa Barbara County's homestay framework, as described in its official Homestays FAQ and Short-Term Rental Ordinance guidance, does not state an annual night cap. The operative time limit is the per-stay threshold that defines short-term rental and transient occupancy: a rental of '30 consecutive days or less.' A stay of more than 30 consecutive days is no longer a transient occupancy and falls outside the homestay/STR rules and the Transient Occupancy Tax. The County instead relies on the owner-occupancy (homestay) model, zoning restrictions, occupancy limits (up to three bedrooms, two persons per bedroom, max six), and annual permit renewal to limit short-term rental activity in residential neighborhoods, rather than a fixed nights-per-year ceiling. Because the host must live on the property and be present during stays, the homestay structure itself constrains intensity of use. To confirm there is no night cap in the binding code text, an operator should consult LUDC Section 35.42.193 (Lodging-Homestay) directly. California state law does not impose STR night caps; any such limit would be local. No fetched Santa Barbara County source establishes an annual night cap, so none is asserted here.