Mono County, CA Short-Term Rentals: Primary-Residence-Only Rule (2026)

Mono County's adopted STR policy does not impose a strict primary-residence-only rule for all rentals, but the December 9, 2025 overhaul (GPA 25-01 / MCC Chapter 5.65) is explicitly designed to prioritize personal residential use and discourage the commodification of housing. The County's stated purpose is to 'prioritize personal residential use in residential units' and to 'support a sharing model whereby a resident property owner with excess capacity may supplement his/her income,' as distinct from a full business or investment model. Reflecting recent case law, the County replaced 'owner-occupied' terminology with 'hosted' throughout the policy package; a 'host' can be an owner or a tenant, and the rules allow a resident to live in an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) while renting the primary residence on a short-term, hosted basis. Two related limits reinforce the residential focus: STR permits are limited to one per natural person across all land use designations (with language added to prevent transfers through LLCs), and STR approvals generally do not 'run with the land,' so they do not automatically transfer to a new owner on sale. Because terms like 'hosted' and the precise scope of any residency expectation are defined in the adopted ordinance, operators should confirm the exact requirements for their situation with the Community Development Department.