City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Sonoma, CA
How Sonoma 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.
- new vacation rentals prohibited in all residential zones
- no new-permit path citywide — existing licensed rentals grandfathered only
- narrow historic-structure adaptive-reuse exception only
- STR permit and TOT certificate required to operate
Based on: Sonoma Municipal Code Title 19 (Integrated Development Regulations); vacation-rental ordinance adopted by City Council
Summary of the rule
Per the City of Sonoma official Vacation Rental Regulation page (SMC Title 19; ordinance adopted 2017-12-04): new vacation rentals are 'no longer a conditionally-permitted use in the Mixed Use and Commercial zones (in Residential zones, new vacation rentals were already prohibited),' with an exception only for 'new applications for vacation rentals involving the adaptive re-use of a historic structure.' Only grandfathered licensed rentals may continue. There is no by-right path for a new whole-home STR anywhere in the city.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 22, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Sonoma · 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.