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

Many California jurisdictions cap short-term rentals to a host's primary residence, but Tehama County's published program does not. The County's STR and TOT materials require an STR Permit (effective June 20, 2024) and collection of the 8% transient occupancy tax for lodging rented 30 days or less, and they describe the obligation as applying to 'hoteliers and other hosts/operators' generally - not only to owners renting their own primary home. We found no published County rule restricting STR Permits to primary or owner-occupied residences, and no requirement that the property be the operator's principal dwelling. This is consistent with the County's rural character, where second homes and dedicated vacation cabins near Mineral, Mill Creek and Manton (the gateway toward Lassen Volcanic National Park) are commonly rented to visitors. Accordingly, both owner-occupied rentals and non-owner-occupied/whole-home vacation rentals appear permitted, provided the operator holds the STR Permit, complies with general residential zoning under Title 17, and collects and remits TOT. Because the County has not published a primary-residence condition, hosts should not assume one exists, but should confirm any property-eligibility conditions attached to the STR Permit with the Planning Department before listing a non-owner-occupied property. This framing reflects the absence of a primary-residence mandate rather than asserting one.