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

Occupancy is one of the core operational standards in Madera County's draft STVR Ordinance. County materials and reporting on the Planning Commission hearings state that the ordinance 'includes occupancy limits tied to the size of each rental unit' - meaning the number of overnight guests allowed would scale with the unit's bedrooms or floor area rather than being a single flat number. This mirrors the common California approach used by nearby mountain and lake jurisdictions, but Madera County had not published the exact figure (for example, a set number of guests per bedroom plus an overall maximum) while the ordinance remained in draft. Because the Board of Supervisors had not adopted the ordinance as of mid-2026, there is no enforceable county-specific overnight-occupancy cap in place yet; building and fire codes still govern safe occupancy in the meantime. Operators near Bass Lake, Oakhurst and the Yosemite south-gate corridor should expect a defined occupancy formula once the ordinance is finalized and should confirm the adopted number with the Planning Division before advertising a maximum guest count. We do not list a specific guest number here because none has been published in an adopted Madera County ordinance.