Short-term rental permit rules in Lincoln, CA — also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration — list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Lincoln Municipal Code does not establish a short-term vacation rental permit program. Title 18 Zoning lists hotels/motels only in the Commercial (C) District as conditional uses (LMC §18.22.030(1)), and no residential zone (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-E) lists short-term lodging as a permitted use, so whole-home STRs of less than 30 days in residential zones lack a zoning basis.
Lincoln does not have a Title-5 chapter or Title-18 chapter dedicated to 'short-term rentals' or 'vacation rentals.' The zoning use tables in LMC Title 18 Division II (Districts) limit lodging-type uses to commercial zones: §18.22.030(1) lists 'Apartments, hotels and motels, subject to the requirements of Chapter 18.16' as conditional uses in the C Commercial District. Residential districts (Ch. 18.12 R-1, Ch. 18.14 R-2, Ch. 18.16 R-3, Ch. 18.18 R-E) list permanent residential uses only; the SRO provisions in §18.16.200(1)(b) specifically state 'Transient occupancy of SRO rooms shall not be allowed,' reinforcing that the residential zones contemplate permanent occupancy. There is no California statute that preempts local STR regulation, so the absence of a permit pathway means hosts have no clear authorization. A general business license under LMC Ch. 5.04 (Business Licenses) is required for any business activity, and the City's home-occupation permit under Ch. 18.62 explicitly forbids uses that change the residential character of the dwelling. Placer County's STR Ordinance (Placer County Code Art. 9.42) applies only to unincorporated Placer County, not incorporated cities like Lincoln.
Operating a lodging use in a residential zone without a permitted-use basis is a zoning violation enforceable under LMC Title 18 and the City's general code-enforcement provisions. Operating any business without a Lincoln business license violates LMC Ch. 5.04 and is punishable as a misdemeanor under LMC §1.16.010 (general penalty: up to $1,000 fine and/or 6 months in jail per violation), and each day of operation may be treated as a separate offense. Administrative citations and abatement orders are also available.
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