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

Some California jurisdictions only allow short-term rentals at the owner's primary residence or distinguish 'hosted' from 'non-hosted' rentals. Madera County's published framework does not impose such a primary-residence requirement. On the tax side, the County registers any operator who rents accommodations for 30 days or less in the unincorporated areas and applies the same TOT and TBID obligations whether or not the owner lives on site; nothing in the registration program limits rentals to a primary home. On the land-use side, the proposed Short-Term Vacation Rental Ordinance was described in County materials and Planning Commission coverage in terms of operational standards - a non-transferable STVR permit, occupancy limits tied to unit size, on-site parking, quiet hours and noise limits, trash management, and fire-code and defensible-space compliance - not as a primary-residence-only program. This is consistent with the County's mountain-tourism economy, where many vacation rentals around Bass Lake, Oakhurst and Yosemite Lakes are second homes and dedicated rental cabins. Because the STVR Ordinance was still in draft as of mid-2026, operators should verify with the Planning Division that the adopted version does not add residency conditions; but no primary-residence restriction had been published for the unincorporated county.