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

RPMC § 17.07.230(D) draws a hard line: short-term rentals are prohibited in accessory dwelling units and accessory structures. That prohibition works together with subsection (E)(1), which caps every short-term rental at no more than one bedroom of a primary dwelling unit, so the ordinance does not merely prefer owner-occupied listings, it structurally excludes an entire category of housing stock, ADUs, JADUs and detached accessory buildings, from the short-term rental market regardless of size, permit status, or whether the unit could otherwise be rented under Chapter 17.08.040's ADU rules.

Only a bedroom inside the primary residence qualifies, and the rental still requires an administrative use permit under subsection (B) and Section 17.06.030 before it can operate in any residential district. The rule is distinct from the city's separate bed and breakfast inn category described in Section 17.07.040, per subsection (C), so a host cannot reclassify a whole-unit or whole-ADU rental as a bed and breakfast to escape the one-bedroom, primary-residence limit. Because subsection (E)(9) folds every short-term rental condition into the administrative use permit, renting an ADU or more than one bedroom is not a fee matter, it is an unpermitted use that voids the permit and exposes the operator to the city's general code enforcement remedies for operating outside a discretionary permit's terms.

The restriction reflects a deliberate zoning choice to keep short-term rentals as an accessory activity inside owner-occupied homes rather than converting secondary units, which the city relies on for its regular long-term rental supply, into vacation rentals.