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

California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2) Section R304 (one- and two-family dwellings) requires habitable rooms to be at least 70 square feet, and CBC Section 1208 governs minimum room dimensions; sleeping rooms must accommodate at least one occupant in 70 sq ft plus 50 sq ft per additional occupant. Tulare Municipal Code Title 15 (Buildings and Construction) adopts the California Building Code and California Fire Code with local amendments, making these the operative occupancy and life-safety standards for any dwelling rented short-term. The City has not adopted a discrete 'X persons per bedroom' STR cap. Tulare County's rejected draft STR ordinance (2024–2025) explicitly limited rentals to habitable interior spaces in permitted dwellings and prohibited use of garages, tents, treehouses, yurts, camper trailers, RVs, or other exterior structures as STR sleeping accommodations — the City would reach the same result via CBC habitability rules and Tulare Municipal Code § 7.28 nuisance enforcement even without an STR ordinance. Hosts using accessory dwelling units (ADUs) for STRs must also comply with Cal. Gov't Code § 65852.2(a)(6), which allows local agencies to prohibit ADU rentals of less than 30 days.