Short-term rental permit rules in Sonoma, CA — also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration — list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Under Sonoma Municipal Code § 19.50.110 (adopted by Ordinance 12-2017 on Dec. 4, 2017), new vacation rentals are not allowed in any residential, mixed-use, or commercial zone of the City of Sonoma. The only exception is the adaptive re-use of a historic structure, and only previously licensed rentals (valid business license + TOT registration as of Nov. 3, 1999) may continue as legal non-conforming uses.
Title 19, Tables 2-2 (Commercial Uses) and 2-3 (Mixed Use), as amended by Section 1 of Ordinance 12-2017, remove 'Vacation Rental' from the list of conditionally permitted uses in the C, CG, and MX zoning districts; new vacation rentals were already prohibited in residential zones. SMC § 19.50.110(B) preserves 'Licensed Vacation Rentals' that held a valid business license and were registered for transient occupancy tax under SMC 3.16.060 as of November 3, 1999, provided they comply with the operating standards in subsections A.2 through A.11. The City maintains a public 'Legal Vacation Rentals' list and a 'Legal B&Bs' list at sonomacity.org for enforcement reference. The City confirms: 'other than those previously approved, vacation rentals are not allowed within the city of Sonoma.' Note the City of Sonoma is a separate jurisdiction from unincorporated Sonoma County, which operates its own vacation rental permit program under Sonoma County Code Ch. 26-88-120 and Ch. 4 Article VIII.
Operation of an unpermitted vacation rental within City limits is a code enforcement matter handled by the City Code Enforcement Division and the City Prosecutor's office. Online listings without a Business License or TOT Certificate number (required by SMC § 19.50.110(A)(6)) are themselves a violation and the primary trigger for enforcement. General SMC Title 1 penalty provisions apply, including infraction citations and per-day continuing-violation charges; the City may also pursue civil abatement.
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