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

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Building-code line
5 guestrooms or fewer = residential
Farmstay cap
4 guest rooms, 8 guests max
Bed & breakfast cap
Up to 12 guestrooms
6+ guestrooms
Triggers full building code review
Max penalty
Up to $5,000 fine, 6 months jail

Summary

Unincorporated Colusa County caps recreational lodging by guestroom count, not headcount. A lodging facility with five or fewer guestrooms is treated as a single-unit residential dwelling under Section 44-4.100.010(D); six or more triggers full building-code review. Farmstays add their own hard cap: four guest rooms and eight guests at any one time under Section 44-4.100.020(B).

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Colusa County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

D. A lodging facility consisting of five or fewer guestrooms shall be considered a single-unit residential dwelling or lodging house for the purpose of building codes, unless additional standards are required by said codes, as amended from time to time and adopted by the County. Six or more guestrooms within one structure shall be subject to further requirements under the building code. ... 44-4.100.020 Farmstays. B. ... The use is limited to a maximum of four guest rooms for up to eight guests at any one time. The guest rooms shall be in the primary or secondary dwelling on-site.

Full Breakdown

Colusa County's Zoning Code does not set a blanket "maximum occupants" figure for every recreational lodging facility. Instead, Section 44-4.100.010(D) uses guestroom count as the dividing line for building-code treatment: a facility with five or fewer guestrooms is considered a single-unit residential dwelling or lodging house, while six or more guestrooms within one structure triggers further requirements under the building code, unless additional standards apply as adopted by the County from time to time. That threshold determines which building-code track a farmstay, bed and breakfast, or outdoor recreation lodging use falls into, and it applies before any specific use-type standard is layered on top.

Farmstays carry the sharpest numeric cap in this chapter: Section 44-4.100.020(B) limits the use to a maximum of four guest rooms for up to eight guests at any one time, with those rooms confined to the primary or secondary dwelling on-site. Bed and breakfast inns, by contrast, may provide up to twelve guestrooms under Section 44-4.100.040(1), so the occupancy ceiling that applies depends on which recreational lodging category the county classifies the operation under, not a single county-wide guest limit.

Violations & Fines

Exceeding the guestroom or guest count allowed for a facility's category, without securing the building-code upgrade or Use Permit that a larger operation requires, violates the Zoning Code. Section 44-1.130.030 makes any violation a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $5,000, up to six months in jail, or both, with mandatory abatement under Chapter 42.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many guests can a farmstay in Colusa County host at once?
Eight. Section 44-4.100.020(B) limits a farmstay to a maximum of four guest rooms for up to eight guests at any one time, and those rooms must be inside the primary or secondary dwelling on the property, not a separate structure.
Is there a general guest limit for all short-term lodging in the county?
No single number applies countywide. The Zoning Code instead sets the line at guestroom count: five or fewer guestrooms under Section 44-4.100.010(D) keeps a facility classified as a residential dwelling, while six or more shifts it into stricter building-code requirements.
How many rooms can a bed and breakfast rent out?
Up to twelve guestrooms, per Section 44-4.100.040(1), and those rooms must be contained within the primary and secondary dwelling units on the property while meeting the development standards of the applicable residential or agricultural zone.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Colusa County

All Colusa County rules

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