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

Glenn County, a rural Sacramento Valley agricultural county (rice and almonds) with limited tourism, has not adopted a short-term-rental or vacation-rental ordinance for its unincorporated areas. Its land-use rules live in Title 15, the Unified Development Code adopted September 27, 2018, which contains no defined use category for 'short-term rental' or 'vacation rental.' The only closely related defined use is a 'bed and breakfast establishment,' which Title 15 defines as a single-family dwelling containing no more than four guestrooms used, let, or hired out for transient occupancy. Title 15's Special Use Standards (Chapter 15.760) set specific standards for bed-and-breakfast establishments, which in most zones require a discretionary entitlement such as a conditional use permit. Because the code does not separately classify whole-house vacation rentals, anyone proposing one in unincorporated Glenn County should consult Planning & Community Development Services directly to determine how the use is classified in a given zone (such as AE Exclusive Agriculture or the residential zones) and whether a use permit is required. The cities of Willows and Orland set their own rules within their limits; this entry covers only the unincorporated county.