Tulare County, CA Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

There is no short-term rental occupancy limit in the Tulare County Ordinance Code. The countywide STR ordinance considered in 2024 would have limited the number of occupants based on the number of bedrooms, but the Board of Supervisors rejected that ordinance on a 3-2 vote on July 9, 2024, so no per-bedroom STR occupancy formula is in force in unincorporated areas. In the absence of an STR ordinance, the practical limits on occupancy come from generally applicable sources: the California Building Code and the County's zoning and building regulations (Tulare County Code Part VII), septic/wastewater capacity for rural parcels, and the Public Nuisance Ordinance (Part IV, Chapter 1), under which overcrowding that produces noise, parking overflow, sanitation problems, or other disturbances can be abated as a nuisance. Operators in Three Rivers and the mountain communities (Camp Nelson, Sequoia Crest, Ponderosa) should confirm any applicable building-occupancy and on-site wastewater limits with the Resource Management Agency rather than assume an STR-specific headcount applies, because none exists in the code.