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

Because unincorporated Amador County has no dedicated short-term-rental ordinance, there is no countywide formula such as two guests per bedroom. Occupancy of transient lodging is instead limited through the discretionary zoning use permit under Code Chapter 19.48. For the detached-room-unit pathway, the chapter caps the scale of the use: a maximum of five detached room units, each up to three hundred fifty square feet, are allowed for short-term rentals on any parcel, and those units require a conditional use permit from the Planning Commission. For a bed-and-breakfast inn approved in an existing dwelling, the Planning Commission attaches conditions of approval, which can include limits tied to the number of guest rooms and the property's septic capacity; the chapter requires the inn to secure written verification from the Amador County Environmental Health/Health Department that the sewage disposal facilities are sufficient to serve the maximum allowed number of guests. Because approval is discretionary, the precise overnight-guest and event-attendance limits are set case by case as permit conditions rather than by a fixed code number. The chapter also restricts food service - only breakfast may be served, and only to guests, not the general public - which functionally limits commercial gatherings. Operators should confirm the specific occupancy conditions for their parcel with Amador County Planning and verify septic adequacy with Environmental Health, since both drive the maximum number of guests the County will allow.