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

The City of Antioch has not codified per-bedroom occupancy caps, total-guest gathering caps, or annual hosted/non-hosted day limits for short-term rentals (such as the 90/180-day caps that Contra Costa County applies in unincorporated areas under Chapter 88-32). Instead, Antioch's zoning code at § 9-5.203 defines a 'dwelling unit' as 'A room or a suite of interconnecting rooms used for sleeping, eating, cooking, and sanitation, designed or occupied for use as a separate quarters on a permanent basis for no more than one family,' which the Code expressly distinguishes from 'hotel' (defined in the same section as 'Any building, or portion thereof, containing six or more guest rooms which are occupied or are intended to be occupied by six or more individuals for compensation') and from 'boarding house' (defined as housing for lodging 'for periods of at least 30 days'). Because the residential dwelling unit definition is keyed to 'permanent' occupancy, very intensive non-hosted STR use can be challenged by Code Enforcement as an unpermitted hotel or boarding-house use in zones where those uses are not permitted. State law does not impose a uniform occupancy cap on STRs, so absent a city ordinance, the practical guardrails are the dwelling-unit definition, building/fire code occupancy limits, the RSO exemption for 30-day-or-less stays (Antioch RSO § 11-1.08, FAQ confirms exemption covers 'Hotels, vacation rentals, and other properties used for short-term rentals of no more than 30 days'), and any conditions imposed via business license review.