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

Unlike cities that limit how many nights per year a host may rent, unincorporated Santa Cruz County controls short-term rental intensity by capping the number of permits rather than nights. There is no annual night ceiling on an individual permitted vacation rental; a permit holder may rent throughout the year. What the County limits is supply. Per the County's published short-term rental program, the Designated Area caps are: Live Oak (LODA) up to 262 non-hosted (vacation) rental permits plus 18 hosted permits; Seacliff/Aptos/La Selva Beach (SALSDA) up to 147 non-hosted plus 45 hosted; and Davenport/Swanton (DASDA) up to 3 non-hosted plus 4 hosted. Outside the designated areas, the County program sets a cap of roughly 270 non-hosted and 185 hosted permits. The County also maintains a countywide cap on the order of 250 hosted rentals. Within designated areas, the 20% per-block density rule further limits where new permits can land. Rather than a night cap, the County uses minimum-use requirements at the other end: to renew, a permit must show at least five weekends or ten nights of use per calendar year, and a permit unused for more than two of any five consecutive years can lapse. In August 2025 the Board of Supervisors approved an overhaul tightening these caps and spacing limits and adding enforcement tools, so operators should confirm current numbers with the County.