City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Davis, CA
How Davis regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Short-term rentals here are subject to registration, a lodging tax, or a small number of operating rules.
- Governing jurisdiction (City of Davis) levies its own municipal Transient Occupancy Tax reaching transient/short-term (<30-day) stays: 12% TOT (DMC Art. 15.05.020) + 2% Visitor Attraction District tax (Art. 15.18, Ord. 2446) = 14% total — a CITY device touching STRs
- No adopted STR-specific ordinance: Davis Municipal Code Chapter 18 (Housing) runs Art. 18.01–18.12, and Article 18.10 is 'Universal Access' — the 2015 proposed STR ordinance was never enacted
- Zoning Chapter 40 defines no short-term or transient rental use and does not prohibit transient rental in residential zones; the code's only transient provisions outside it are unrelated, plus the general Transient Occupancy Tax
- No STR-specific registration/permit/cap/zoning device (unchanged); only generic layers touch an STR operator: a business license (Ch. 19), the 14% transient occupancy tax (Ch. 15.05/15.18), and the general residential-rental registration & inspection program (Art. 18.11, aimed at long-term tenancies)
- Narrow use carve-outs (ADUs/JADUs not rentable <30 days; deed-restricted affordable units not usable as STR) are use-type limits, not a general STR device
Based on: City of Davis levies a municipal Transient Occupancy Tax: 12% (DMC Art. 15.05.020, eff. 8/1/2016) + 2% Visitor
Summary of the rule
The City of Davis (the governing incorporated jurisdiction) levies its OWN municipal Transient Occupancy Tax of 12% on the rent charged for any hotel/motel/inn room (Davis Municipal Code Art. 15.05.020, eff. Aug 1, 2016), PLUS a 2% Visitor Attraction District tax (Art. 15.18, City Council Ord. 2446, eff. Jul 1, 2015) = 14% total, collected quarterly by the city Director of Finance. Any person occupying a room continuously for more than 30 days is exempt — i.e. the tax reaches transient / short-term (<30-day) stays, including STRs. This is the CITY's own device (not the Yolo County or California state tax).
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Last reviewed Sep 14, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Davis · system last checked Oct 24, 2026
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