El Dorado County, CA Short-Term Rentals: Taxes & Fees (2026)
Key Facts
- Countywide TOT rate
- 10% of rent
- Tahoe Area add-on
- +4% (14% total)
- Tahoe surcharge use
- Snow removal and road maintenance only
- Late TOT penalty
- 10%, then +10%, +25% for fraud
- TOT interest
- 10% per year on unpaid tax
- STR fees
- Application, renewal, fire/life-safety fees
Summary
Short-term rental guests in El Dorado County pay a 10 percent transient occupancy tax countywide, rising to 14 percent in the unincorporated Tahoe Area under Section 3.28.030, where the extra 4 percent is dedicated solely to snow removal and road maintenance. Operators also pay separate rental application, renewal, and fire and life safety inspection fees.
For the privilege of occupancy in any facility, except a camping site or a space at a privately-owned campground or recreational vehicle park, each transient is subject to and shall pay a tax in the amount of ten percent of the rent charged by the operator. ... in addition to the tax specified in Subdivision A above, each transient is subject to and shall pay an additional tax in the amount of four percent of the rent charged by the operator in the unincorporated portion of the Tahoe Area of the County. The revenue from the four percent increase ... is a special tax that shall be dedicated solely to snow removal and maintenance of existing roads in the unincorporated portion of the Tahoe Area of the County.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 13 Update 4).
Full Breakdown
030(A) taxes transient occupancy at "ten percent of the rent charged by the operator," and Subsection C adds "an additional tax in the amount of four percent of the rent charged" in the unincorporated Tahoe Area, a special tax "dedicated solely to snow removal and maintenance of existing roads" there, bringing the Tahoe-area rate to 14 percent. 070). 080 draws a ten percent penalty, a second ten percent penalty if still unpaid 30 days later, a 25 percent penalty on top of that for fraud, and 10 percent annual interest on the unpaid balance.
080 requires a non-refundable initial hosted or vacation home rental application fee and a separate non-refundable annual renewal fee, both set by Board of Supervisors resolution and capped at the county's actual administrative cost. 085 layers on a fire and life safety inspection fee due with the initial application, plus a bi-annual inspection fee at renewal to cover the contracted fire agency's cost; these inspection fees are refundable only if the applicant withdraws before the inspection takes place.
Violations & Fines
Under Section 3.28.080, an operator who misses a TOT remittance deadline owes a collection fee plus a 10 percent penalty, a further 10 percent if still delinquent after 30 days, and 25 percent more if the Tax Collector finds fraud, on top of 10 percent annual interest; unpaid TOT, penalties, and interest also block a lapsed rental permit from being renewed under Section 5.56.140(B) until fully paid.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the transient occupancy tax rate for an El Dorado County vacation rental?
What happens if an El Dorado County STR operator pays the occupancy tax late?
Besides the occupancy tax, what fees does an El Dorado County short-term rental permit require?
Can I get my fire and life safety inspection fee back in El Dorado County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in El Dorado County
How El Dorado County compares: Cities with the Highest Short-Term Rental Taxes·California rules heatmap·Compare El Dorado County to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview
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