Tulare County, CA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in Tulare County, CA, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- STR Land-Use Permit
- None (ordinance rejected 7/9/2024)
- Board Vote
- 3-2 to reject
- Required Registration
- TOT Registration Certificate
- Governing Code
- Tulare County Code 1-05-1380
- Certificate Status
- Not a permit (per Code)
- Code Current Through
- Ordinance 3662 (Aug 2025)
Summary
Unincorporated Tulare County has NO short-term rental land-use permit. The Board of Supervisors rejected a proposed STR ordinance 3-2 on July 9, 2024. The only mandatory step is registering with the Tax Collector for a Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate, which the Code states does not constitute a permit.
Every person engaging or about to engage in business as an operator of a hotel or short-term residential rental in the unincorporated area of Tulare County shall register with the Tax Collector on a form which may be obtained at the Office of the Tax Collector or on the Tulare County Tax Collector's website.
Full Breakdown
There is no dedicated short-term rental (STR) permit or use-permit program in the Tulare County Ordinance Code for unincorporated areas such as Three Rivers, Camp Nelson, Sequoia Crest, and Ponderosa. A proposed countywide STR ordinance that would have added permits, occupancy limits, parking rules, noise rules, trash and pet rules, and contact-information signage was brought to a public hearing on July 9, 2024 and rejected by the Board of Supervisors on a 3-2 vote (Supervisors Vander Poel, Townsend, and Micari voting to reject; Valero and Shuklian voting to proceed).
With no STR ordinance adopted, hosts are governed only by the Transient Occupancy Tax Law (Tulare County Code Part I, Chapter 5, Article 11) and by general zoning and nuisance rules. The one mandatory registration is with the Treasurer-Tax Collector: every operator of a hotel or short-term residential rental must register and obtain a Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate (section 1-05-1380). ' Operators should confirm zoning for their parcel with the Resource Management Agency before listing.
Violations & Fines
Operating without registering for and remitting Transient Occupancy Tax can trigger Tax Collector assessment, a 10% delinquency penalty, additional penalties, interest, and a recorded tax lien. Land-use or nuisance violations are enforced separately under the Public Nuisance Ordinance and zoning code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a short-term rental permit in unincorporated Tulare County?
Is a separate STR ordinance coming?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tulare County
How Tulare County compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·California rules heatmap·Compare Tulare County to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview
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