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

Napa County adopted Section 18.104.410 (Title 18, Zoning) to prohibit commercial transient occupancies of dwelling units in the unincorporated county. The section defines 'transient commercial occupancy' as any commercial use of a dwelling unit for a period of less than 30 consecutive days. The prohibition does not apply to (1) occupancies associated with farm labor camps, (2) residential care facilities, (3) family day care homes, or (4) legally permitted bed and breakfast establishments, hotels, or motels. Because the prohibition is written into the zoning code itself rather than a licensing chapter, there is no county short-term rental permit, no annual registration window, and no application portal for new STRs in unincorporated Napa County. The cities inside the county (City of Napa, St. Helena, Calistoga, Yountville, American Canyon) each have their own separate municipal codes; their rules and permits do not apply outside city limits. The County Planning, Building and Environmental Services Department (707-253-4417) confirms applicability for specific addresses, and the Code Compliance Division (Title 1) enforces the prohibition. Owners with a long-running, lawfully established pre-ordinance use may seek a nonconforming use determination from the Planning Department, but the county has not opened a general grandfather or amnesty program; the standard answer for new owners or new properties is that STR use is not permitted. A 2018-2019 Napa County Grand Jury report documented hundreds of unpermitted vacation rentals operating in the unincorporated county despite the prohibition, and the county now uses third-party listing-monitoring software to identify violators.