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Casago High Desert, a DBA of Acme CA, Inc. California DRE #02420145. Michael E. Flannery, Designated Broker.
Joshua Tree / High Desert · Regulation watch
Three governments share this destination and one of them caps how many permits you can hold. Match the parcel to its authority first, then read only that row.
Existing owner? Access your Owner Portal
One row per jurisdiction
These summarise what each official page and code section states. They are not a determination about your parcel.
| Jurisdiction | What to check | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| Unincorporated San Bernardino CountyGoverns the community of Joshua Tree itself, plus Yucca Mesa, Flamingo Heights, Landers and most of Pioneertown — every address outside an incorporated municipal boundary.County Code Chapter 84.28 | Instrument. Chapter 84.28, Short-Term Residential Rentals, in Title 8 of the County Code. It applies in the County's Mountain and Desert Regions to stays of 30 consecutive calendar days or less. Permit. Required before advertising or renting. Valid one year, renewed annually with reinspection. Not transferable: a new owner must apply afresh. Caps, stated plainly. One permit for a parcel under 2 acres; two for a parcel of 2 acres or more. Separately, no owner may hold more than two County STR permits, with a legal-non-conforming allowance to renew for owners who already exceeded that when the ordinance took effect. An individual apartment inside a multi-family residential project is not eligible. An alternative shelter — a tent, recreational cabin or RV — is not eligible. Application window. The County program page states that applications are currently accepted for dwellings in the Mountain and Desert areas. Open as at this check date. Occupancy. Set by bedroom count verified against Assessor data and building records (studio or one bedroom, four; two, six; three, eight; four, ten; five, twelve), with an absolute ceiling of 12 occupants and a further limit imposed by approved on-site parking. Parking. All occupant and guest vehicles must park on the property. No parking on neighbouring land, public roads or private roads. Neighbour process. The County notices surrounding property owners, who have 20 calendar days to comment, and the permit takes effect the first business day after a 30-day appeal period. Operating conditions. No weddings, receptions, corporate retreats, business meetings, conferences, filming, photography shoots or parties without a separate County permit. A 24-hour contact is required. Advertising before permit approval is prohibited, and every advertisement must state the maximum occupants and vehicles. The permit, an evacuation map and a prescribed notice must be posted inside the unit. Transient occupancy tax applies under County Code section 14.0203. What we did not find. No separation or minimum-distance standard between short-term rentals, no density cap by community or region, and no moratorium appear in Chapter 84.28 as published in the current code edition. | County STR program County STR FAQs County Code Chapter 84.28 Checked 2026-09-20 |
| Town of Yucca ValleyIncorporated. County Chapter 84.28 does not apply inside the Town.Ordinance 312 | Instrument. The Town states that it currently regulates short-term vacation rentals under Ordinance 312. Permit. The Town states that the permits required to allow the short-term rental of single-family dwelling units are obtained by contacting the Town Planning Department, and names a Planning Technician for permits and zoning. Tax and registration. The Town names a Finance contact for business registration and transient occupancy taxes, so those are separate steps from the planning permit. Complaints. The Town publishes a 24-7 complaint route and a Code Compliance contact. What still needs confirming. The Town page does not publish permit numbers, caps, separation standards, density limits or whether an application window is open or closed. Confirm the current permit, zoning, registration, tax, inspection and cap position directly with the Town for your address before marketing or operating. Do not substitute the County program. | Short-Term Vacation Rental Checked 2026-09-20 Register my vacation rental Checked 2026-09-17 |
| City of Twentynine PalmsIncorporated. County Chapter 84.28 does not apply inside the City.Development Code Ch. 19.41 | Instrument. Vacation Home Rentals sit in Development Code Chapter 19.41. The City states that its Council recently approved a modification of the previous Vacation Home Rental ordinance, so the version you read matters — check the date on the copy you are working from. Definition. A permitted short-term rental of a detached single-family dwelling, or any portion of one, for a minimum of two consecutive nights and no more than 30 consecutive calendar days. Licence. Both a VHR licence and a business licence must be issued by the City first. The City states that it is illegal to operate, list or advertise a property as a Vacation Home Rental or short-term rental before that happens. Licences are non-transferable: on a sale the existing licence terminates and the new owner must apply. Inspection. Building permits for any remodel or alteration must be signed off by the City Building Inspector before a VHR safety inspection can be called, and unpermitted work will delay approval. Owners and agents are responsible for completing the City's VHR education course. Operating conditions. City quiet hours are 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. for noise, music and amplified equipment. Overnight parking must in no case exceed the number of available on-site spaces. A 24-hour number must be displayed on the VHR sign, and the City runs a complaint hotline with a live operator Friday and Saturday from 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Tax. Short-term rental is included in the definition of hotel for transient occupancy tax under Municipal Code Chapter 3.24. What still needs confirming. The City pages do not publish a numerical licence cap, a separation standard or a closed application window. Confirm the current licence, zoning, inspection, tax and operating requirements for the exact address. | Vacation Home Rental VHR compliance Checked 2026-09-20 |
| California state taxThere is no state transient occupancy tax.State of California | Transient occupancy tax in California is imposed and collected by the city or county, not by the state. The published list of tax and fee programs administered by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration does not include transient occupancy tax. Your TOT obligation therefore comes from County Code section 14.0203, Town of Yucca Valley Finance, or Twentynine Palms Municipal Code Chapter 3.24, depending on the parcel. Income tax, any applicable sales or use tax on goods, and platform collection arrangements are separate questions for your tax adviser. | CDTFA taxes and fees Checked 2026-09-20 |
| Joshua Tree National ParkNot a regulator of your property.National Park Service | The park is a National Park Service unit. It does not licence, permit or regulate short-term rentals on private land, and no managed property sits inside its boundary. It matters to owners for two other reasons: it drives the season, and it shapes what a listing can honestly claim. The Park Service notes there are no gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores or hotels in the park, no water in its interior, and very limited cell reception. Give distance and entrance context; never present park land as an amenity of the home. | Plan Your Visit Checked 2026-09-20 |
| HOA, CC&Rs, deed restrictions, special districtsPrivate governing documents | Private restrictions are separate from every public permit above and can be stricter, including an outright prohibition. A County permit, a Town permit or a City licence does not override them. Obtain the recorded CC&Rs, deed restrictions and easements, and a written association determination where one exists, before marketing. Special-district conditions, road-maintenance agreements and septic or water covenants belong in the same file. | Further verification needed |
Steps in order
Use the street address and Assessor parcel number, not the postal town. A Joshua Tree mailing address does not tell you whether you are inside an incorporated boundary.
In County territory: parcel acreage against the one-or-two permit limit, how many County permits you already hold against the two-permit owner limit, and whether the dwelling is a type the ordinance excludes. Answer this before you spend on furniture.
County STR permit, Yucca Valley Planning Department permit, or the Twentynine Palms VHR licence plus business licence. Expect inspection, and in County territory expect neighbour notice and an appeal period before the permit is effective.
Locally, not with the state: County Code section 14.0203, Town of Yucca Valley Finance, or Twentynine Palms Municipal Code Chapter 3.24. Confirm how any platform collection is treated.
CC&Rs, deed restrictions and easements before launch. Then the posted interior notice, evacuation map, 24-hour contact, and advertising that states the permitted occupants and vehicles. Only then advertise.
Still open
Unincorporated San Bernardino County. Joshua Tree is a community, not a city, and has no municipal short-term rental code of its own. Chapter 84.28 of the San Bernardino County Code applies, administered through the County's short-term rental program, and so do the County's permit caps. Neighbouring Yucca Valley is an incorporated Town under Ordinance 312 and Twentynine Palms is an incorporated City under Development Code Chapter 19.41. Checked 2026-09-20.
There are caps, and the window is open. In unincorporated County territory Chapter 84.28 permits one short-term rental on a parcel under 2 acres and two on a parcel of 2 acres or more, and states that an owner is not eligible for more than two County STR permits in total. Owners already above that when the ordinance took effect may renew as a legal non-conforming use. Apartments in multi-family projects and alternative shelters such as tents, recreational cabins and RVs are not eligible at all. The County program page states that applications are currently accepted for dwellings in its Mountain and Desert areas, so nothing is closed or waitlisted as at 2026-09-20. Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms do not publish a cap on their pages; confirm with each directly.
Not in the County ordinance as published. We read Chapter 84.28 in the current code edition on 2026-09-20 and found no separation or minimum-distance standard, no density limit by community or region, and no moratorium. What it does contain is the per-parcel and per-owner permit limits, occupancy tied to bedrooms and parking, and a neighbour notice with a 20-day comment window. Neither the Yucca Valley nor the Twentynine Palms page publishes a separation standard; confirm with each.
No, in both the County and Twentynine Palms. Chapter 84.28 prohibits advertising that promotes a short-term rental before permit approval, or while a permit is suspended or revoked, and requires every advertisement to state the maximum occupants and vehicles. Twentynine Palms states it is illegal to operate, list or advertise a property as a Vacation Home Rental before the City has issued both the VHR licence and the business licence.
There is no state transient occupancy tax in California. TOT is imposed locally, and the published list of programs administered by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration does not include it. Your obligation comes from County Code section 14.0203, the Town of Yucca Valley, or Twentynine Palms Municipal Code Chapter 3.24, depending on the parcel. Checked 2026-09-20.
Next step
Continue to the Owner Portal for a property-specific conversation. Prospective owners choose I'm considering the program. Existing owners sign in as an owner. Nothing about your home is sent from this page.
