Santa Clara County cities cap non-hosted STRs: San Jose at 180 days per year, Palo Alto at 90 nights. Hosted rentals where the owner is present are typically uncapped.
Santa Clara County cities commonly regulate short-term rentals with an annual night cap depending on whether the host is present during the stay. San Jose allows hosted rentals (owner-occupied, owner present) for unlimited days and caps non-hosted whole-home rentals at 180 days per calendar year. Palo Alto caps non-hosted rentals at 90 nights per year. Cupertino, Campbell, and Los Gatos have varying restrictions. Hosts must maintain rental records showing nights booked and be able to produce them on request. Platforms often report booking totals to cities under data-sharing agreements. Exceeding the annual cap is treated as operating an illegal unpermitted use. Unincorporated Santa Clara County does not currently impose a uniform night cap but may still require compliance with zoning, TOT, and use-permit requirements for transient lodging.
Exceeding an annual night cap can result in permit revocation, administrative citations from 1,000 dollars per violation, and restitution of TOT. Repeat violations may trigger a multi-year ban on hosting the property.
See how Santa Clara County's night caps rules stack up against other locations.
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