Sonoma County Code Sec. 26-88-120 sets a strict maximum overnight occupancy formula for vacation rentals: 2 persons per sleeping room or guestroom, plus 2 additional persons per property, up to an absolute maximum of 12 persons, excluding children under 3 years of age. Vacation rentals are also limited to a maximum of 5 guestrooms unless a use permit is approved on a showing of adequate sewage capacity and neighborhood compatibility.
The Sec. 26-88-120 occupancy formula is mathematical and binding on every zoning permit issued by Permit Sonoma. Example: a 3-bedroom rental is capped at 8 overnight guests (3 × 2 + 2). A 5-bedroom rental — the maximum allowed by-right — is capped at 12 (5 × 2 + 2). Children under 3 do not count against the cap. Above 5 guestrooms the property requires a discretionary Use Permit, which the county will only grant on documented evidence of adequate septic/sewage disposal capacity AND demonstrated neighborhood compatibility. The same section also addresses daytime occupancy: aggregate daytime use (overnight guests plus visitors) typically may not exceed roughly twice the overnight limit, but the exact daytime ceiling is set on each individual permit. All advertising — Airbnb/Vrbo listings, flyers, websites — must conform to the permitted occupancy; advertising a higher occupancy than the permit authorizes is itself a Code violation under Sec. 26-88-120.
Exceeding overnight occupancy is a citable violation that can be substantiated through complaint hotline reports, sheriff response, or neighbor video. Repeated overcrowding is grounds for administrative citation and revocation of both the zoning permit and the Article VIII license under Code Article 92. Advertising a higher occupancy than the permit authorizes is independently actionable.
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See how Sonoma County's occupancy limits rules stack up against other locations.
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