Skip to main content
CityRuleLookup

El Dorado County, CA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Short-term rental permit rules in El Dorado County, CA, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.

Key Facts

Permit required
For any rental of 30 days or less
Units per parcel
One HHR or VHR permit per parcel
Transferability
Void on sale, except spouse/trust transfer
Pre-issuance step
Fire and life safety inspection required
Fees
Initial + annual renewal fee by resolution
First unpermitted violation
Warning, 5 days to cure

Summary

No one may rent a home in unincorporated El Dorado County for 30 days or less without a valid hosted or vacation home rental permit under Section 5.56.050. Only one permit is issued per unit, the permit is non-transferable and voids on sale, and it must be paired with a business license and transient occupancy tax registration.

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

No owner of a hosted or vacation home rental shall rent that unit for 30 consecutive calendar days or less without a valid hosted or vacation home rental permit for that unit issued pursuant to this chapter. A separate permit shall be required for each hosted or vacation home rental but there may not be more than one hosted or vacation home rental per parcel. ... A hosted or vacation home rental permit is not transferable with the property and becomes void upon sale or transfer of the property interest to another owner/entity.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 13 Update 4).

Full Breakdown

050 bars renting a unit for 30 consecutive days or less without "a valid hosted or vacation home rental permit for that unit issued pursuant to this chapter," with a separate permit required for each rental and no more than one HHR or VHR allowed per parcel. The permit is additional to, and may be processed alongside, a business license and transient occupancy tax registration certificate, but the rental permit must issue first. 070 requires the application to include owner and local-contact contact information, the number of approved bedrooms and habitable square footage verified against Assessor's records, a site diagram showing structures, parking spaces, gas appliances, hot tubs, and signage, an interior diagram labeling every room and safety device, evidence of the business license and TOT registration, the drinking water source, disclosure of any hot tub, and certification of independent garbage service.

080 sets a non-refundable initial application fee and a separate annual non-refundable renewal fee, both set by Board of Supervisors resolution and capped at the county's actual administrative cost. 090(A)(9). A permit is not transferable with the property and becomes void on sale or transfer, except for interspousal transfers or transfers into a family trust for estate planning.

Violations & Fines

Renting without a permit is a violation under Section 5.56.140(B): the first offense draws a warning with five days to resolve it, a second offense brings fines under the chapter's escalating $1,500/$3,000/$5,000 schedule, and each additional day of unpermitted operation is a separate violation. An owner caught operating without a permit also cannot apply for a permit, or join the waiting list, for one year, and must pay all past-due transient occupancy taxes, penalties, and interest before reapplying.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get a permit for more than one short-term rental unit on my property in El Dorado County?
No. Section 5.56.050 caps it at one hosted or vacation home rental permit per parcel, and each rental requires its own separate permit application under the chapter.
Does my El Dorado County STR permit transfer when I sell the house?
No. Section 5.56.050 makes the permit non-transferable with the property; it becomes void upon sale or transfer, with narrow exceptions for interspousal transfers and transfers into a family trust for estate planning.
What has to happen before the county issues my rental permit?
Section 5.56.090(A)(9) requires a fire and life safety inspection covering smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, a fire extinguisher, operable bedroom windows, and defensible-space compliance before the county will issue the permit.
What happens if I operate a rental without a permit in El Dorado County?
Section 5.56.140(B) gives a first-time warning with five days to fix it, but a second offense brings fines, and the owner is barred from applying for a permit or joining the waitlist for one year, plus back taxes and penalties must be paid first.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in El Dorado County

All El Dorado County rules

How El Dorado County compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·California rules heatmap·Compare El Dorado County to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview

Get notified when Short-Term Rental Permits in El Dorado County, CA changes

We'll email you the moment we detect a change in the code. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

We'll never sell or share your email. One-click unsubscribe in every email.

See something wrong?

Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.