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

Because the City of Merced has not adopted a short-term-rental ordinance, there is no STR registry, no STR license number requirement on listings, and no neighbor-notification rule in the city code. The registration that does apply comes from the Transient Occupancy Tax chapter. Under Section 3.08.050, within 30 days after commencing business each operator of any hotel renting occupancy to transients must register the property with the city finance officer and obtain a Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate, which must be posted in a conspicuous place on the premises at all times. The certificate states the operator's name, the address, and the date of issuance. Section 3.08.050 is explicit that the certificate is a tax-collection registration only and "does not constitute a permit" and does not authorize operating a hotel without complying with all other applicable local laws, including any required permit from a city board, commission or department. Operators must also keep records for three years under Section 3.08.100. The "hotel" definition in Section 3.08.020 is broad enough to capture short-term rental dwellings rented to transients. This city framework differs from unincorporated Merced County, where the county's STR program imposes its own guest-registration and recordkeeping duties on hosts.