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

The County of San Diego has not enacted a short-term rental ordinance, so there is no STR-specific guest-occupancy formula (such as the two-guests-per-bedroom-plus-two limits common in cities that license STRs). The City of San Diego's STRO occupancy rules do not apply in the unincorporated county. In the absence of a dedicated ordinance, the maximum number of occupants is governed by generally applicable standards: the California Building and Residential Codes (room and dwelling occupancy based on floor area and habitable space), the Fire Code, and the County Zoning Ordinance's density and dwelling-unit definitions.

Operators should size guest counts to the lawful occupancy of the structure and to septic/water capacity where applicable, since many unincorporated parcels are on private wells and on-site wastewater systems. The County's Transient Occupancy Tax framework, which is the main STR requirement, does not impose any occupancy limit. Because no County STR ordinance establishes guest caps, claims of a specific maximum number of guests for unincorporated STRs would be unsupported. Operators in homeowners-association areas may face private occupancy limits separate from County law.