Jurisdiction table
One row per authority.
| Authority | What to check | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| Unincorporated San Bernardino County — the permitCounty Code Enforcement | A short-term rental permit is required for the advertising and the rental use of a home in the unincorporated desert and mountain regions. Transient occupancy generally means 30 consecutive calendar days or less. The rental can be the whole home, an accessory dwelling or one or more rooms. Short-term rentals are only allowed in the Mountain and Desert Regions. | About Short-Term Rentals Checked 2026-09-20 Short-Term Rental FAQs Checked 2026-09-20 |
| How the County decides who can hold oneEligibility limits | A maximum of two permits may be issued for a parcel of two acres or greater, and one for a parcel under two acres. An owner is not eligible for more than two permits in total, including partial ownership, unless the permit existed before the July 2022 ordinance update. An individual unit inside a multi-family residential project is not eligible. An alternative shelter such as a travel trailer, RV, tent, yurt or recreation cabin cannot be permitted at this time. Permits are not transferable to a new owner or to another property, and an application cannot be submitted before the grant deed is recorded in County records. | Short-Term Rental FAQs Checked 2026-09-20 Operational Standards Guide for Short-Term Rental Owners and Operators (PDF) Checked 2026-09-20 |
| Application, notice and appealEZ Online Permitting | Register and submit through EZOP, then staff review for applicability and completeness, fee assignment, payment, an exterior inspection with a pass or fail result, and issuance. New applications carry two notice periods: surrounding property owners have 20 calendar days to comment after a project notice, and a permit-issuance notice carries a 30-day appeal window. Applicants have 30 days to make minor corrections after a failed inspection; serious violations can mean immediate denial. Fees effective 1 July 2026 are $1,144 for a new application, $550 for a renewal with no changes, $859 or $885 for a renewal with management, occupancy or physical changes, and $1,144 where both apply, with a one-time $150 credit for installing an approved outdoor noise monitoring device. Per the County pages checked 2026-09-20; fees are stated as subject to change. | Getting Started Checked 2026-09-20 Short-Term Rental FAQs Checked 2026-09-20 |
| County Mountain Region operating standardsSpecific to these communities | Solid-fuel outdoor fireplaces, chimineas, barbecues and fire pits are prohibited in the Mountain Region. Animal-proof trash containers are required unless the County-approved refuse hauler discourages them. Parking areas must be kept free of obstructions, expressly including excessive amounts of snow. A contact person name and phone number for snow removal must be posted inside the unit, alongside the permit, an evacuation map on or beside the front door, the maximum overnight occupancy, the parking areas, utility shut-off locations, a property boundary map and the County Good Neighbor brochure. | Operational Standards Guide for Short-Term Rental Owners and Operators (PDF) Checked 2026-09-20 |
| Occupancy, parking, noise and lightingCounty Development Code ch. 84.28 | Occupancy is determined by the number of bedrooms verified against County Assessor data and Building records; kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms and dens do not count. The permitted number may never be exceeded and advertisements may not exceed it either. Every vehicle belonging to occupants or their guests must park on the property, in a garage, carport or driveway, with tandem parking allowed; street parking and off-site parking are not allowed at any time. Quiet hours run 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., noise may not exceed 45 decibels during quiet hours or 55 decibels at other times, and speaker-generated noise outdoors is prohibited. Outdoor light fixtures must be fully shielded and directed downwards, and all outdoor lighting must be extinguished by 11 p.m. | Operational Standards Guide for Short-Term Rental Owners and Operators (PDF) Checked 2026-09-20 |
| Response, safety and enforcementCounty Code Enforcement | The owner or agent must be reachable by phone 24 hours a day, able to make contact within 30 minutes and physically present at the property within one hour, and must respond to Code Enforcement within 30 minutes. Units need five-pound fire extinguishers on each floor, smoke detectors in each sleeping room and a central area on each floor, and carbon monoxide detectors on each floor near sleeping rooms and in any room with a fireplace or wall heater. Spas and hot tubs must be covered and locked when not in use. Commercial uses such as filming, corporate retreats, conferences and wedding receptions are not permitted. Operating without a permit carries an administrative fine of $1,000 per violation per day. Confirmed violations escalate from a notice of violation to $1,000, $2,000 and $5,000 citations, then suspension, then revocation, after which no new application is accepted for 12 months. Per the County pages checked 2026-09-20. | Operational Standards Guide for Short-Term Rental Owners and Operators (PDF) Checked 2026-09-20 Short-Term Rental FAQs Checked 2026-09-20 |
| Lodging taxCounty Treasurer-Tax Collector · CDTFA | Compliance with the County's Uniform Transient Occupancy Tax is a program requirement, and a TOT certification is one of the documents in the application packet. The County refers rate and filing questions to the Treasurer-Tax Collector. California has no statewide lodging tax: the Department of Tax and Fee Administration administers sales and use tax and a set of special taxes and fees, and does not list transient occupancy tax among them. Treat rental income as a separate question for your own tax adviser. | What is Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT)? Checked 2026-09-20 California Department of Tax and Fee Administration Checked 2026-09-19 |
| HOA, CC&Rs, deeds, private roads and Arrowhead Lake Association rightsPrivate documents | Private documents can be more restrictive than the County and are not enforced by it. Lake access is the sharpest example in this market. The Arrowhead Lake Association says residential property owners in Arrowhead Woods are eligible for membership except Lakewood tracts A and B, and that membership is required for boating access. Its membership page sets out General, Beach Club and Dock/Slip Right categories and does not address renters, guests or tenants at all, which means a guest's lake or boating use cannot be assumed from ownership, from a lakefront position or from a County permit. Confirm rental permission, minimum-stay and occupancy provisions, parking and private-road responsibilities, membership status and the current guest process directly from the governing documents. | Types of Membership Checked 2026-09-20 Further verification needed |
| Winter access and road statusCounty · Caltrans Operating context, not a permit | Not a rule, but it decides whether a booked guest arrives. County snow guidance defines passable as less than eight inches of snow on the road, open to travel with a properly equipped vehicle carrying chains on all drive wheels; open means a plow has made one pass; clear means two passes and a road plowed to full width. During large events primary roads are cleared first so emergency personnel can move. Private roads and driveways are the owner's responsibility. Caltrans publishes current highway conditions online and on 1-800-427-7623. | Snow Removal Guidelines Checked 2026-09-20 Current Highway Conditions Checked 2026-09-20 |
Steps in order
The sequence that avoids wasted money.
Confirm the jurisdiction
Establish that the parcel is unincorporated and inside the County's Mountain Region. Nothing else on this page applies until that is settled.
Check eligibility before you spend
Parcel size, how many permits already exist on it, how many you hold elsewhere, and whether the dwelling type can be permitted at all. This is where an application fails cheaply or expensively.
Read the private documents
HOA, CC&Rs, deed restrictions, private-road agreements and any Association membership or guest-access rules. They can prohibit what the County would permit.
Register for tax, then apply
Sort the Transient Occupancy Tax certification, then submit through EZOP and expect review, fees, notice to surrounding owners, an exterior inspection and an appeal period before issuance.
Install the operating standards
Posted notices including the snow-removal contact, detectors and extinguishers, a lockable spa cover, animal-proof trash, shielded lighting on an 11 p.m. cut-off, on-property parking, and a 24-hour contact who can be at the house within an hour.
What still needs address-level confirmation
- Whether this specific parcel is unincorporated and within the Mountain Region, and whether a permit already exists on it.
- Parcel acreage, how many permits the owner already holds anywhere in the County, and whether the dwelling is an eligible type.
- The occupancy the County would approve from Assessor and Building records, and the on-property parking that supports it.
- Association membership status and eligibility, and whether any guest use of the lake is available at all.
- Private-road maintenance and snow-clearing responsibility for the actual approach to the house.
- The current TOT registration, certificate, rate in force and filing schedule from the Treasurer-Tax Collector.
Keep researching
More on this market, and the programs behind it.
Sources
- About Short-Term Rentals · San Bernardino County. Checked 2026-09-20.
- Getting Started · San Bernardino County Short-Term Rentals. Checked 2026-09-20.
- Short-Term Rental FAQs · San Bernardino County. Checked 2026-09-20.
- Operational Standards Guide for Short-Term Rental Owners and Operators (PDF) · San Bernardino County Code Enforcement. Checked 2026-09-20.
- What is Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT)? · San Bernardino County. Checked 2026-09-20.
- California Department of Tax and Fee Administration · State of California. Checked 2026-09-19.
- Types of Membership · Arrowhead Lake Association. Checked 2026-09-20.
- Snow Removal Guidelines · San Bernardino County. Checked 2026-09-20.
- Current Highway Conditions · California Department of Transportation. Checked 2026-09-20.
- Every row above was read on the date shown against it. Fee amounts, limits and penalties are quoted from the County pages read on 2026-09-20 and the County states that fees are subject to change.
- These summaries are educational. They are not a determination that a particular property may rent, and a source check is not legal advice, tax advice or Casago business approval.
Regulation questions
Is there a cap on short-term rental permits in San Bernardino County?
The County pages checked on 2026-09-20 describe no county-wide cap and no waiting list. They do limit permits per parcel and per owner: at most two on a parcel of two acres or greater, one on a parcel under two acres, and no more than two permits for any one owner including partial ownership, unless the permit predates the July 2022 ordinance update.
What would make my property ineligible?
Several things, and they are worth checking first. An individual unit inside a multi-family residential project cannot be permitted. Neither can an alternative shelter such as a travel trailer, RV, tent, yurt or recreation cabin. A parcel that already holds its maximum number of permits cannot take another, and an owner already holding two permits is not eligible for a third. A parcel outside the unincorporated Mountain and Desert Regions is outside the program entirely. Checked 2026-09-20.
Does a permit transfer when I sell?
No. The County says short-term rental permits are not transferable to a new owner or to another property, and that a new owner must submit a new application. An application cannot be submitted until the grant deed is recorded in County records.
Can guests use the fire pit or barbecue outside?
Not in the Mountain Region. The County's Operational Standards Guide states that solid-fuel outdoor fireplaces, chimineas, barbecues and fire pits are prohibited there. Checked 2026-09-20.
How quickly do I have to respond to a complaint?
The County requires the owner or agent to be available by phone 24 hours a day, to be able to make contact within 30 minutes, to be physically present at the property within one hour, and to respond to Code Enforcement within 30 minutes of a call.
Next step
Work through the rules for your own address.
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.
Casago Lake Arrowhead, a DBA of Acme CA Vacations, Inc. California DRE #02439360. Michael Flannery, Designated Broker.