City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Fort Bragg, CA
How Fort Bragg regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Rules here limit which homes may operate as short-term rentals, how many, where, or for how many nights a year.
- Vacation rentals allowed ONLY in the Central Business District (CBD), and only on the second or third floor above ground-floor commercial uses — an effective residential-zoning exclusion barring STRs in all residential neighborhoods.
- Effective permit cap of ~10 STR permits citywide (mirrors an informal/administrative ceiling; only 2–4 permits ever active), reflecting a deliberate policy choice to protect workforce housing over tourism lodging.
- Whole residential housing stock is off-limits to STR use; policy explicitly framed around the local housing crisis.
- Coastal zone historically prohibited STRs entirely; a 2026 rewrite to allow up to 10 coastal-CBD permits is still pending (second reading + Coastal Commission LCP certification), so the coastal-zone posture remains ban-until-certified.
Based on: Fort Bragg Inland Land Use & Development Code (FBMC Ch. 18) § 18.42.190 Vacation Rental Units; STR framework originally
Summary of the rule
Vacation rentals permitted only in the Central Business District, on the second or third floor above commercial uses; not allowed in residential zones or on ground floors.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 9, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Fort Bragg · system last checked Oct 25, 2026
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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.