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

Registration in unincorporated Amador County flows through the Transient Occupancy Tax framework rather than a dedicated short-term-rental registry. Under Code Chapter 3.16 (Uniform Transient Occupancy Tax), the tax applies to occupancy in any hotel, which the ordinance defines broadly to include hotels, inns, tourist homes, bed-and-breakfast houses, motels, lodging houses, rooming houses, apartment houses, dormitories, public or private clubs, and similar structures occupied by transients for dwelling, lodging or sleeping. Prior to commencing business, each operator renting occupancy to transients must register the property with the tax administrator, and annually thereafter during the month of January, each operator must obtain an annual registration certificate from the tax administrator. That certificate must be posted at all times in a conspicuous place on the premises. Failure to register before commencing business, or failure to re-register in January in any year of continued operation, is a misdemeanor under the chapter. Practically, the Treasurer-Tax Collector provides a TOT Registration form and a Tax Return form on the Forms page of its website, and a completed registration form may be emailed to the Tax Collector. This tax registration is separate from, and in addition to, any land-use use permit the operator may need under the zoning code (Chapter 19.48) for a bed-and-breakfast inn or detached room units. Because the County had not adopted a standalone STR ordinance, the TOT registration certificate is the principal countywide registration obligation; confirm current forms and procedures with the Tax Collector.