City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Bodega Bay, CA
How Bodega Bay regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Short-term rentals here operate under a registration or permit system with ongoing operating rules.
- Unincorporated CDP — Sonoma County governs; no city ordinance of its own
- Robust process regime in force in the coastal zone: Transient Vacation Rental (zoning) permit + Vacation Rental business license (Ord. 6427) + TOT registration + mandatory Certified Vacation Property Manager + performance/good-neighbor standards
- Supply-limiting devices (the 'X' Vacation Rental Exclusion Combining District cap/exclusion, Ord. 6423) explicitly do NOT reach the coastal zone — coastal caps require a certified Local Coastal Program amendment that is not yet in force
- Both hosted and non-hosted whole-home rentals currently permitted; no owner-occupancy/primary-residence requirement
- Coastal Commission has requested hosted-only policy for concentrated coastal areas (Bodega Bay ~20% of housing stock as unhosted STRs, Mar 2023) — a pending supply constraint, not yet enacted/certified
Based on: Sonoma County Vacation Rental permit + business license (Ord. 6427)
Summary of the rule
Transient Vacation Rental zoning permit + Vacation Rental business license (Ord. 6427) + TOT registration + mandatory Certified Vacation Property Manager required to operate
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 9, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Bodega Bay · system last checked Oct 25, 2026
Owners in Bodega Bay
Following Bodega Bay adds it to the Followed cities list on your ASTRO dashboard, linked to its city page.
Add a home to the ASTRO registry and confirm ownership of it.
City Watch tracks changes from public sources — council agendas, state bills, local news — not a complete legal compendium.
A city permit is not the whole picture — HOA, condominium, deed, or lease rules may be stricter.
City Watch provides good-faith summaries of publicly available information as of the review date shown. Rules, enforcement, and permit availability can change, and summaries may contain errors or omissions. Ratings describe the general regulatory environment; they do not establish whether a particular property or stay is permitted. This is general information, not legal advice. Before buying, listing, or hosting, verify applicable requirements with the responsible authorities and review any HOA, condominium, deed, or lease restrictions.