Sacramento, CA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in Sacramento, CA, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- Register must log
- Dates, lodger count, rent paid per night
- Retention period
- At least three years, printed format
- Non-primary hosts file
- Quarterly: January, April, July, October
- Governing law
- Sacramento City Code § 5.114.220
- Civil penalty range
- $250 to $25,000 per day
Summary
Every Sacramento short-term rental permittee must keep a written register recording each date lodging was provided, the number of lodgers per night, and the rent charged. City Code § 5.114.220 requires the log be kept in printed form for at least three years, and non-primary-residence hosts must mail an updated copy to the city every January, April, July, and October.
A. A permittee shall keep a register that documents the following information: 1. All dates on which the permittee provided lodging for compensation; 2. The number of lodgers on each date; and 3. The amount of rent paid by lodgers for each night of lodging. B. A permittee shall maintain this register in a printed format for at least three years and, except as provided in subsection C below, shall provide the register to the city upon request. C. For rentals that are not the primary residence of the permittee, the permittee shall provide an updated copy of the register to the city each January, April, July, and October, by sending or delivering the register to the city department and address listed on the short-term rental permit.
Full Breakdown
114 sets the recordkeeping duty that backs up every other short-term rental rule in Sacramento. Subsection A requires a permittee to keep a register documenting three things for each stay: the dates lodging was provided for compensation, the number of lodgers present on each date, and the amount of rent paid by lodgers for each night. 210. Subsection C imposes an additional, proactive duty on hosts whose rental is not their primary residence: rather than waiting for a records request, they must send an updated copy of the register to the city department and address listed on the permit every January, April, July, and October, four filings a year that let the city track occupancy nights against the annual cap in near real time.
230, which requires the permit and its number to be displayed in every room a lodger is expected to sleep in and included in every advertisement, so a code enforcement officer or the city manager reviewing a complaint can cross-check the posted permit number against the quarterly register filings for non-primary-residence rentals.
Violations & Fines
Falsifying or failing to maintain the register required by § 5.114.220 is a violation of Chapter 5.114 enforceable under § 5.114.040: civil penalties of $250 to $25,000 per day the violation continues, criminal sanctions and administrative penalties under Chapter 1.28, and grounds for the city manager to suspend, revoke, or condition the permit under § 5.114.300.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must a Sacramento short-term rental host record in the register?
Do all Sacramento short-term rental hosts have to send their register to the city?
Why does Sacramento require a printed lodging register?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sacramento
How Sacramento compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·California rules heatmap·Compare Sacramento to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview
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Short-Term Rental Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Sacramento County handle short-term rental permits.