Lake County, CA Short-Term Rentals: Registration Rules (2026)

There is no self-service short-term rental registration portal for unincorporated Lake County. The applicable registration requirement comes from the Transient Occupancy Tax article of the County Code. Section 18-15.1 provides that "within thirty (30) days after the effective date of this article or within thirty (30) days after commencing business, whichever is later, each operator of any hotel or other lodging renting occupancy to transients shall register said hotel or other lodging with the Tax Collector and obtain from him or her a 'Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate' to be at all times posted in a conspicuous place on the premises." Section 18-15.2 lists the certificate contents - the operator's name, the lodging address, and the issue date - and includes the statutory notice that the certificate "does not authorize any person to conduct any lawful business in an unlawful manner, nor to operate a hotel without strictly complying with all local applicable laws, including but not limited to those requiring a permit from any board, commission, department or office of this County. This certificate does not constitute a permit." The Tax Collector's office provides a TOT-TID Registration form and a combined TOT-TID Joint Return form, reflecting that the County's Transient Occupancy Tax is administered together with the Lake County Tourism Improvement District assessment. The Code's broad definition of "hotel or other lodging" includes any structure occupied by transients for lodging, which captures short-term rental homes.