Short-term rental permit rules in Kern County, CA — also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration — list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Kern County does not require a stand-alone short-term rental permit, but every operator of a hotel, vacation rental, or short-term lodging in the unincorporated area must register with the Kern County Treasurer-Tax Collector and obtain a Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate before renting.
Per Kern County Code Section 4.16.060, 'Every person engaging in or about to engage in business as an operator of a hotel in the unincorporated area of Kern County, shall register with the tax collector on a form provided by the tax collector.' Section 4.16.020(A) defines 'hotel' broadly to include any structure or portion of a structure 'occupied or intended or designed for occupancy by transients for lodging or sleeping purposes,' including private homes, vacation cabins, mobilehomes, and similar facilities when rented by a person 'regularly engaged in the business of renting such facilities.' Section 4.16.020(G) defines a 'transient' as any person occupying a space for fewer than 30 consecutive calendar days. Upon submitting a complete registration form, the tax collector issues, without charge, a Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate that must be 'prominently displayed in the hotel.' The certificate is non-transferable and must be surrendered on sale or cessation of business. Each separately advertised dwelling, unit, or bedroom requires its own certificate. The certificate text expressly states that it 'does not constitute a hotel business permit, a land use permit or a license to operate a hotel on this premises,' so operators must independently comply with all zoning and land use requirements under Title 19.
Operating without registration, or failing to post the certificate in a prominent place, is unlawful under Section 4.16.200(A). A willful violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both; at the District Attorney's option, it may be prosecuted as an infraction with a fine of up to $500.
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