Santa Cruz County, CA Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Overnight maximum
- 2 guests per legal bedroom plus 2 additional
- Children under 8
- Not counted toward the limit
- Daytime gatherings
- Up to 2x the overnight max, 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
- Example
- 3-bedroom rental = up to 8 overnight guests
- Governing section
- SCCC 13.10.694(D)
- Capacity must match
- Permit, advertising, and posted house rules
Summary
Under SCCC 13.10.694, overnight occupancy of a vacation rental may not exceed two guests per legal bedroom plus two additional guests, with children under eight not counted. For daytime celebrations and gatherings between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., the maximum is twice that overnight limit. These figures must be written into the rental's house rules.
Vacation rentals are allowed two overnight guests per bedroom plus two additional overnight guests. Additionally, during the daytime, twice the number of overnight guests may be present at a vacation rental.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 5004302; v11 updated 2026-05-19; through 05-19-2026).
Full Breakdown
Santa Cruz County's vacation rental ordinance sets a clear occupancy formula. 694 requires the form rental or lease agreement and house rules to state the number of guests allowed, which shall not exceed two per legal bedroom plus two additional guests; children under eight years old are not counted toward this limit. So a three-bedroom permitted vacation rental allows up to eight overnight guests (six plus two), excluding young children. quiet-hour threshold. The number of bedrooms is the permitted, legal bedroom count, and the permit category turns on it: rentals of three or fewer bedrooms are processed administratively, while four-or-more-bedroom rentals require a Level V public hearing and a one-year provisional permit before the full five-year term.
Mis-advertising the capacity or limitations of the vacation rental is listed in the ordinance as a significant violation that can lead to revocation, so the advertised and posted occupancy must match the permit. 690, where the owner occupies one bedroom and rents one to three others, are inherently smaller in scale.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the overnight cap of two guests per legal bedroom plus two, allowing daytime gatherings larger than twice that figure, or advertising a higher capacity than the permit allows, all violate SCCC 13.10.694. Mis-advertising capacity is an enumerated significant violation, and substantiated over-occupancy can support revocation of the permit under SCCC 18.10.136.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many guests can stay overnight in a Santa Cruz County vacation rental?
Can I host a daytime party at my vacation rental?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Cruz County
California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Cruz County to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview
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