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

Santa Cruz County's Short-Term Rental ordinance (codified at SCCC 13.10.694 and related sections, last major rewrite approved by the Board of Supervisors 1/26/2021 and certified by the California Coastal Commission 4/16/2021) tightly regulates rentals under 30 days. Two permit categories exist: Hosted Rentals, where the owner or long-term resident host occupies one legal bedroom while one to three other legal bedrooms are rented; and Non-Hosted Rentals (formerly Vacation Rentals), which involve renting an entire home. Permits are valid for five years. Applicants must provide a Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) certificate or signed application from the County Tax Collector (701 Ocean St, Santa Cruz). Restrictions: STRs are not allowed on parcels containing an ADU or Junior ADU per state law (Gov. Code 65852.2(a)(6)); a property cannot hold both a Hosted and a Non-Hosted permit simultaneously; only one STR is permitted per person/entity/property. The County Board of Supervisors advanced further limits in August 2025 to cap densities in coastal neighborhoods. Coastal Zone STRs also require a CDP. Cities have their own STR rules (Santa Cruz, Capitola, and Watsonville each regulate separately).