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

Many California jurisdictions restrict short-term rentals to a host's primary residence to curb investor conversions. Glenn County does not — it has adopted no short-term-rental ordinance, so there is no owner-occupancy or primary-residence mandate for vacation rentals in the unincorporated county. The governing question is purely a land-use one under the Title 15 Unified Development Code: is the lodging use permitted, conditionally permitted, or not allowed in the parcel's zone? The closest defined use, a bed-and-breakfast establishment, is defined as a single-family dwelling with no more than four guestrooms for transient occupancy; in practice B&B operators often live on-site, but the Title 15 definition turns on guestroom count and the dwelling type, not on a recorded primary-residence requirement. For non-owner-occupied whole-home rentals, the county has no rule forbidding them as such, but the use must still be properly classified and may require a conditional use permit depending on the zone (for example AE Exclusive Agriculture versus a residential zone). Operators considering an investment property should confirm with Planning & Community Development Services that the intended use is allowed on the specific parcel and zone before purchasing or listing.