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

Some California jurisdictions limit short-term rentals to a host's primary residence to curb investor-owned whole-home rentals. Unincorporated Yuba County does not have such a rule, because it has not adopted a short-term rental ordinance at all. Nothing in the county's published code conditions transient rental on the property being the owner's primary or full-time residence. This means second homes, investment cabins, and other non-owner-occupied dwellings in the unincorporated foothills and valley are not prohibited from short-term renting on a primary-residence basis; they remain subject to the same baseline requirements as any rental, namely the parcel's zoning and the 10% Transient Occupancy Tax administered by the Treasurer-Tax Collector. Owners of recreation-area cabins near Bullards Bar Reservoir and Collins Lake therefore do not need to demonstrate primary residency to operate, but they do need to register for and remit TOT and ensure the use is consistent with the parcel's zoning. If the county adopts an STR ordinance in the future, a primary-residence condition could be introduced, so owners should periodically check for code updates.