Vacaville, CA Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Codified STR Headcount Cap
- None - STRs not allowed in residential zones
- Lodging Occupant Load
- Lesser of use-permit cap and CBC Group R-1 table (adopted by VMC Title 15)
- ADU Occupancy
- Long-term residential; <31-day STR prohibited (VMC Ch. 14.09.270)
- Public Assembly
- Exceeding occupancy with alcohol/drugs accessible violates VMC Ch. 9.20
- Posting Requirement
- Posted-occupancy required for assembly uses by CBC; no STR-specific posting rule
Summary
Vacaville has not codified an STR-specific occupancy cap (such as a flat 'two persons per bedroom plus two' rule or a 10-person maximum) because short-term rentals are not authorized in residential zones. For lawful lodging uses (hotels, motels, bed and breakfast inns in commercial/mixed-use districts), occupancy is set by the California Building Code occupant-load tables for the Group R-1 occupancy classification as adopted by Title 15 of the Vacaville Municipal Code, plus any use-permit-specific cap imposed by the Community Development Department at entitlement. Chapter 9.20 (Abatement of Community Safety Violations) reinforces that exceeding posted occupancy load at a public assembly where alcohol or drugs are accessible is itself a violation.
17920.3. Any building or portion thereof, regardless of zoning designation or approved uses of the building, including any dwelling unit, guestroom or suite of rooms, or the premises on which the same is located, in which there exists any of the following listed conditions to an extent that endangers the life, limb, health, property, safety, or welfare of the occupants of the building, nearby residents, or the public shall be deemed and hereby is declared to be a substandard building ... (9) Room and space dimensions less than required by this code.
Full Breakdown
Vacaville's regulatory occupancy framework for lodging operates at three layers, none of which is an STR-specific cap. First, Title 14 (Zoning) defines the lodging use classes (hotel, motel, bed and breakfast inn) and requires site-plan and use-permit approval; the use permit may impose an address-specific cap as a condition of approval based on parking, septic/water (where applicable), and life-safety considerations. Second, Title 15 (Buildings and Construction) adopts the California Building Code by reference, including the occupant-load tables in CBC Chapter 10 that govern means-of-egress design for Group R-1 (transient lodging) and Group R-3 (one- and two-family dwellings) occupancies.
The maximum permitted occupancy is the lesser of the use-permit cap and the building-code occupant load. 20 (Abatement of Community Safety Violations) declares it a violation to allow the occupant load to exceed the permitted number within a public assembly where alcohol or drugs are being consumed or accessible. Because the city has not adopted a stand-alone STR ordinance, there is no flat city-wide occupancy formula keyed to bedroom count, no daytime-guest limit codified for transient rentals, and no posting-of-maximum-occupancy rule specific to STR units.
270 limits the unit to use as a long-term residential dwelling and prohibits short-term rental of less than 31 days, with occupancy effectively governed by the CBC dwelling-unit area rules for the configured bedrooms.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the occupant load of a lawful lodging use is a building-code violation enforceable by the city's Building Official under Title 15 and a use-permit violation enforceable by Community Development under Title 14 and Chapter 1.28. Where the gathering involves alcohol or drugs accessible to attendees, Chapter 9.20 layers community-safety violation enforcement with escalating administrative citations, and Chapter 9.61 (Social Host Ordinance) adds joint and several liability for response costs where minors are involved. Operating an unauthorized short-term rental in a residential zone has no codified per-guest cap because the use is not permitted; the city enforces against the use itself under Title 14 and Chapter 1.28 regardless of guest count.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many guests can stay at a Vacaville short-term rental?
Can I host a large gathering at my Vacaville rental?
Are there fire-marshal occupancy limits at Vacaville hotels?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Vacaville
California rules heatmap·Compare Vacaville to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview
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Occupancy Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Solano County handle occupancy limits.