STR rules · verified 1mo ago
Short-term rental rules in Mendocino, CA
Mendocino (the historic village) is unincorporated and governed by Mendocino County's Mendocino Town Zoning Code, Division III, Chapter 20.748 (Single Unit Rentals and Vacation Home Rentals). The County caps Vacation Home Rentals at 10 and Single Unit Rentals at 20 within the Town of Mendocino — new licenses only issue when active counts fall below those caps. New Vacation Home Rentals may only be granted where the parcel has no other use except an existing single-family dwelling and is NOT in a residential Zoning District. Coastal Development Permits are typically required. Licenses are tied to the parcel and largely non-transferable except to spouse/child/parent or estate-planning trust. Mendocino County's coastal-zone Division II rules and Town Division III rules operate separately from the inland STR ordinance the Board adopted September 10, 2024.
What's behind the sign-in
- Registration fees — initial + annual renewal cost, per permit type
- Permit caps + waitlists — exact cap values, current waitlist counts
- Owner-occupancy rules — days/year requirement, permit-class splits
- Zoning carve-outs — which districts allow / disallow STR
- Tax stack — TOT, hotel, county + state layers
- Stay limits — min/max nightly, max nights/year
- Operational requirements — parking, insurance, fire inspection, neighbor notice
- Penalties — per-night fines, revocation thresholds
- City-specific gotchas — HOA carve-outs, pending legislation, recent court rulings
- Refresh on demand — re-run the agentic pipeline against the city's current ordinance
Frequently asked
Are short-term rentals legal in Mendocino, CA?
Mendocino is currently restricted for short-term rentals. Permitted but with material constraints — caps, owner-occupancy rules, zoning carve-outs, or active ordinance review. For the actual fees, caps, owner-occupancy rules, and city-specific gotchas, sign in.
Do I need a permit to run an Airbnb in Mendocino?
Almost certainly yes — almost every U.S. city now requires a short-term rental permit, vacation rental permit, or transient lodging permit before you can legally list. The specifics for Mendocino (cost, renewal cycle, required documents) are behind sign-in. You can also read the source ordinance directly: https://library.municode.com/ca/mendocino_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=MECOCO_TIT20ZOOR_DIVIIIMETOZOCO_CH20.748SIUNREVAHORE.
What happens if I rent without a permit in Mendocino?
Most cities charge per-night fines (a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per violation), escalating to cease-and-desist letters and platform delisting on repeat. Airbnb and Vrbo now share permit-validation feeds with most major cities, so unpermitted listings get blocked at the platform level. Sign in to see the specific penalty schedule for Mendocino.
How current is this data for Mendocino?
This record was verified 1mo ago against the city's published ordinance (.gov or the city's official municipal-code publisher). Cached cities re-verify on a cadence — daily for cities under active legislation, weekly otherwise. Signed-in users can hit Refresh on any city to force a fresh pull. If you're underwriting a deal, always confirm against the city's code-enforcement office before closing.
Can my HOA or condo association ban STRs even if Mendocino allows them?
Yes. City permits authorize you under municipal law, but your HOA, condo association, or co-op board sets contractual rules that override the city for your unit. Many HOAs adopted blanket STR bans between 2018 and 2024 in response to neighbor complaints. Read the CC&Rs, bylaws, and rental addendums before you buy with an STR plan — the city saying yes does not mean your building says yes.