Fair Oaks, CA Short-Term Rentals: Primary-Residence-Only Rule (2026)

Sacramento County's short-term rental program for unincorporated areas is built around a primary-residence requirement. To be eligible for a Short-Term Rental Permit, the property owner or a long-term renter must live at the property for at least six months out of the year, and the short-term rental must remain an accessory use to that full-time occupancy. Because the home must be a primary residence, an applicant can legally operate only one short-term rental - the County does not permit a person to run a portfolio of multiple unhosted STRs. All or a portion of the primary dwelling may be rented short-term, and legally permitted accessory dwelling units (ADUs) constructed before January 1, 2020 may also be used; however, ADUs built on or after January 1, 2020, as well as junior ADUs and guest houses, are not eligible for short-term rental use. This structure means whole-home, investor-owned rentals where no owner or long-term tenant lives on the property do not qualify under the County ordinance. California state law does not preempt this local choice: counties retain authority to regulate short-term rentals as a land-use and accessory-use matter, and Sacramento County has exercised that authority through Zoning Code Sections 3.9.3.AA and 6.5.6 and Code Chapter 4.08. The primary-residence rule works together with the County's day limits (no more than 29 consecutive days per stay and 29 total days per rental party per year) and occupancy limits to keep short-term rental subordinate to the residential use of the home. Operators should verify their occupancy status and ADU eligibility with the Office of Planning & Environmental Review before applying.