Placer County, CA Short-Term Rentals: Permit Requirements (2026)

Placer County regulates short-term vacation rentals (units rented for fewer than 30 days) through County Code Chapter 9, Article 9.42. The permit requirement applies to the unincorporated Eastern Placer County Short-Term Rental Area, generally properties above 5,000 feet in elevation in the North Lake Tahoe region (Tahoe City, Kings Beach, Carnelian Bay, Tahoma). In this eastern area, a property owner must obtain a short-term rental permit before renting, in addition to a Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) certificate and a business license. Western Placer County (Auburn, Roseville-area unincorporated land, lower elevations) does NOT require an STR permit, but operators there must still obtain a TOT certificate and comply with the TOT ordinance. New eastern-county applicants must submit through the county's online portal and provide the rental address and Assessor Parcel Number, local contact information, bedroom count and maximum occupancy, parking spaces, garbage/bear-box service proof, and pass both an interior Fire Life Safety inspection and an exterior defensible space inspection. The interior Fire Life Safety inspection costs $507.02 in the North Tahoe, Northstar, and Olympic Valley fire districts (Truckee Fire District sets its own fees). Permits are issued per the program's standards and may be suspended if valid inspections are not on file.