Short-term rentals in Truckee, explained properly.

The Town keeps a waitlist for short-term rental certificate applications and keeps the overall cap inventory full as certificates lapse or are revoked. The application process opens to those on the waitlist every quarter, and applications are processed by date of receipt, oldest first, subject to the Town Council's priority programs. A non-refundable waitlist application fee applies (the fee amount is set by Town Council resolution). No waitlist application can be submitted or granted for a property sold within the last 365 days, for vacant land or a property without a Certificate of Occupancy, or by an applicant in uncured violation of any local, state or federal law. A waitlist position is forfeited if the applicant is later found in violation, and the applicant can reapply one year after the violation is remedied. A certificate holder who misses the renewal deadline is treated as a new applicant and goes on the waitlist.

Certificates do not run with the land and expire on any partial or complete transfer of ownership, whether or not the Town was told. For a short-term rental, the new owner may apply for a new certificate after 365 days have passed from the purchase or other transfer, subject to the cap and waitlist. A hosted rental certificate also expires on a change of ownership, and the new owner (or a qualifying tenant) may apply for a new one. The new owner must notify the Town of the change of ownership.

A short-term rental certificate expires at the end of the calendar year for which it is issued. Renewal applications may be submitted starting November 1; applications received after November 30 may not be processed before January 1, and operating or advertising without the renewed certificate is a violation. Renewal needs updated application information, new certifications and acknowledgments, and payment of the registration fee. If no renewal application is submitted before January 1, the application is treated as a new permit and the applicant is placed on the waitlist. A hosted rental certificate expires on the third March 31 after issue; renewal opens February 1, and the same logic applies around April 1.

Section 5.02.050.A says no person may advertise, maintain, operate or use an accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit as a short-term rental or hosted rental, and each such rental is a separate violation. The ban does not apply if Town staff or the Town Council determines it conflicts with state law. No certificate is issued for an accessory dwelling unit created without a building permit or permitted on or after January 1, 2020. The Town's 2022 ordinance history page described the change as a phase-out letting existing certificate holders renew; the code as now codified is stricter, and this page follows the code. State law on accessory dwelling units is in the California section above.

Section 5.02.030.G.2.c and Section 5.02.050.A say no new short-term rental certificates will be issued for multi-family dwellings, except as permitted under Section 5.02.030.B. That subsection says units within developments originally approved as lodging units rather than dwelling units are covered by the chapter but are not subject to the multi-family prohibition on new certificates. Multi-family dwelling unit is defined by reference to Title 18 of the Town Code (Section 18.220.020.D), which was not reviewed, so whether a particular condominium, townhouse or duplex counts as multi-family should be confirmed with the Town. The Town's ordinance history page says existing certificate holders may renew.

Section 5.02.050.A prohibits transient rentals, and no registration is issued, for any mobile home, manufactured home, recreational vehicle or tiny home that is not fixed to a permanent foundation but attached to a chassis, and for any such unit or dwelling of any kind located in a mobile home park, recreational vehicle park or special occupancy park as defined in the California Health and Safety Code. The heading of Section 5.02.030.G.2.c is broader (certificates prohibited for mobile homes, manufactured homes, recreational vehicles and tiny homes), and the Town's 2023 ordinance summary says short-term renting of manufactured homes and mobilehomes is prohibited. Because the text can be read two ways for a manufactured home fixed to a permanent foundation outside a park, this rule is marked for review.

A hosted rental is one permitted bedroom in a dwelling unit that the homeowner occupies as their primary residence, rented for one to 30 consecutive nights. Since April 1, 2025 it needs its own hosted rental certificate, which lasts three years and is issued one per dwelling unit. Occupancy is limited to two people, excluding children under 13. A bedroom with a kitchen, cooking facility, wet bar or sink outside a permitted bathroom is not eligible unless it held a certificate with those features before May 24, 2022. A tenant can hold a hosted rental certificate only in a narrow case: a lease of more than 30 days, primary residence, a bed and breakfast inn certificate in good standing on May 24, 2022 for the same address, and continuous operation since. The chapter's cap of 1,255 is written for short-term rental certificates. Hosted rental fines are lower than short-term rental fines (see Penalties).

A hosted rental is defined as a bedroom in a dwelling unit the homeowner occupies as their primary place of residence. The application must include proof of primary residence: the owner's property tax bill showing a homeowner's exemption, or an affidavit of primary residency if the operator is a qualifying tenant. The designated hosted rental contact person must reside on-site with the renter in the primary dwelling unit during the rental stay, be reachable by phone 24 hours a day and respond within 30 minutes. Only the homeowner can hold the certificate, except for the tenant case described under Hosted rentals.

Section 5.02.050.A says a structure or property with a recorded covenant, deed restriction or agreement restricting its use, including dwelling units with affordability restrictions and units where short-term or hosted rentals are prohibited, shall not be used for them. Short-term and hosted rentals are also not allowed in structures not intended for residential occupancy, and no certificate is issued for a detached living area rented separate from the main dwelling, even if approved as a bedroom.

A short-term rental's maximum occupancy is set in its certificate at two guests per bedroom plus two additional people, excluding children under 13, and the limit applies between 10:00 pm and 7:00 am. A bedroom counts only if it is an enclosed room with a door, a built-in closet, an emergency escape opening, at least 70 square feet exclusive of the closet, and built with a permit. Hosted rentals are limited to two people, excluding children under 13.

Each short-term rental needs a local contact person with authority to take over management. The contact must answer by phone within 30 minutes of contact by the Town or guests, and must stop any violation within 60 minutes and report to the Town within 60 minutes what was done. For one year after any citation, notice of violation or fine, the contact must be physically present at the rental within 60 minutes, though not more than once in a 24-hour period. The Town runs a 24/7 helpline at 530-450-2430 that calls the contact.

Each short-term rental must provide on-site parking, with no parking on the street, in an unpaved area, or outside the approved parking plan (boat trailers and recreational vehicles included). In the Downtown Mixed Use zone an alternative parking plan for off-site parking is allowed where on-site parking is not available. Guests must follow Chapter 9.20 of the Town Code on noise, which is stricter between 10:00 pm and 7:00 am, and the nighttime restrictions must be posted inside the rental.

Accumulation of trash outside a short-term rental is prohibited. Weekly trash collection is required, with a minimum of two trash cans in addition to recycling, or more if two are not enough. Each rental must have a bear-resistant trash can enclosure that meets Section 6.01.040.E of the Town Code and holds at least two cans, except where an HOA or property owners association runs central collection or requires garage or indoor collection.

Smoke alarms are required in each bedroom, each room with a bed, and on every level; carbon monoxide alarms must meet the California Building Code; and each rental needs a portable fire extinguisher (type 3-A:40-B:C, inspected annually) near the kitchen, one per level. The address must be visible from the street with numbers four inches tall. A rental in an area with inadequate cell service needs a working landline or VoIP phone. The operator must allow Truckee Fire Protection District inspections once every three years and more often on request, and respond within 30 days to a request to schedule one. The Town can deny, suspend or revoke a certificate for lack of a fire inspection within the preceding three years, a failed inspection not corrected, or refusal of an inspection. A fire safety self-certification is part of registration.

No wood-burning pits, bonfires or campfires may occur at a short-term rental. Natural gas or propane fireplaces and fire pits with 20-pound tanks or smaller are acceptable at least 10 feet from a structure and flammable materials, with reduced clearance allowed under manufacturer recommendations for listed products and for permitted built-in units. Grills may not be used beneath trees, umbrellas, decks or other flammable sources and must be at least 10 feet from structures; charcoal grills of any type are prohibited.

Weddings, corporate events, commercial functions and similar events are prohibited at a short-term rental or hosted rental unless they comply with all chapter and code requirements, including occupancy limits, traffic, parking and noise; a violating event is a separate violation. A certificate does not authorize incidental camping, meaning overnight camping, sleeping in tents or on decks, or sleeping in travel trailers or recreational vehicles on the property. Guests may not sublet a rental.

Posted inside the unit: the maximum number of guests, trash and recycling instructions and where the cans are, a summary of the dog ordinance, parking rules, the local contact's details, emergency evacuation information, and a notice of potential financial penalties (plus wood stove or fireplace instructions where there is one). Each short-term rental advertisement must list the maximum number of occupants (excluding children under 13), the maximum number of parking spaces, and the certificate number. Hosted rental advertisements must list two people as the maximum, the parking spaces available, that the host will be on site, and the certificate number.

The operator must collect and keep, for each guest registration, the registered guest's name and contact information, the number of guests, and the amount of rent paid, including ancillary charges such as cleaning fees. Records are kept for three years and furnished to the Town within five days on request.

Violating the chapter is a misdemeanor and a public nuisance, and each day is a separate violation. Administrative fines may not exceed $1,500 for a first citation, $3,000 for a second violation within one year, and $5,000 for each additional violation within one year. The fine for operating a transient rental without a valid certificate is $500 for the first violation. For hosted rentals the limits are $500, $1,000 and $1,500. Both guests and owners may be cited, and the owner is liable for violations at the rental. A hardship waiver process can reduce a fine where the responsible party made a bona fide effort to comply and the full fine would impose an undue financial burden.

The Town may deny, suspend or revoke a certificate for reasons including an ineligible applicant or unit, false statements, an uncured violation 30 days after notice, delinquent fees, fines or taxes, a threat to public health, safety or welfare, or lack of a required fire inspection. A certificate with three citations in a 12-month period that are not overturned on appeal is revoked, no new certificate is issued, and any waitlist application is denied for 12 months from revocation. A suspended certificate holder cannot renew while the cause remains uncured. An operator or guest may appeal to the Town's hearing officer within 21 calendar days of the notice, and then to the Town Council within 10 calendar days of the hearing officer's decision.

California Revenue and Taxation Code section 7280 lets the legislative body of any city, county, or city and county levy a tax on the privilege of occupying a room or other living space in a hotel, inn, tourist home or house, motel or other lodging, unless the stay is longer than 30 days. A county's tax applies only in its unincorporated areas. The rate, registration and filing rules are set by each city or county, so the local tax is shown in the city's own section of this page.

Government Code sections 50990 to 50996 (Senate Bill 346, 2025) apply only in a city or county that adopts an ordinance making them apply. Where they apply, a booking platform must, on the local agency's request, report the physical address with nine-digit ZIP code of each short-term rental it facilitated (no more often than every 3 months, or monthly if the local tax is remitted monthly), and must include in each listing any applicable local license number and any transient occupancy tax certification issued by the local agency. The local agency may fine a platform that does not report. The act does not stop a city or county from regulating short-term rentals, platforms or tax collection in other ways.

Government Code section 66333(g) requires a city's junior accessory dwelling unit ordinance to require that a rental of a junior ADU be for a term longer than 30 days (as amended by Assembly Bill 1154, in force January 1, 2026). Section 66323(e) requires a city to require that a rental of an ADU created under that section (the ministerial, by-right approvals) be for a term longer than 30 days. For other ADUs on a lot with a single-family home, section 66315 bars standards beyond section 66314, including owner occupancy, except that a city may require that the property be used for rentals of terms 30 days or longer. Cities can be stricter in their own codes; see the city section.

Civil Code section 4741 says an owner in a common interest development is not subject to a governing-document provision that prohibits, has the effect of prohibiting, or unreasonably restricts renting or leasing a separate interest, ADU or junior ADU, and an association may not cap rentals below 25 percent of the separate interests. The same section says it does not prohibit an association from adopting and enforcing a provision that prohibits transient or short-term rental of a separate property interest for 30 days or less. Check your association's governing documents.

Civil Code section 1940 applies the chapter on hiring of real property (Civil Code sections 1940 to 1954.071) to tenants, lessees, boarders, lodgers and others who hire dwelling units, but excludes a person in transient occupancy in a hotel, motel, residence club or other facility when the stay is or would be subject to a transient occupancy tax under Revenue and Taxation Code section 7280 (stays of 30 days or less). Stays longer than that are not covered by this exclusion.