Sonora, CA…Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors approved Ordinance Code Chapter 8.70 related to Fire and Life Safety Inspections for Short-Term rentals in the unincorporated areas of Tuolumne County. To keep all Tuolumne County residents and visitors safer, effective January 19, 2024, it is unlawful to maintain, operate, or use a short-term rental in the unincorporated areas of Tuolumne County without a Tuolumne County Fire Department (TCFD) Fire and Life Safety Inspection.

All inspections shall be renewed every two (2) years. During the implementation period of the new Ordinance, you may continue to operate your short-term rental. You will not be deemed in violation as long as you contact our office to schedule your inspection (s) 45 days after receiving your Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) return (s). TOT returns for short-term rentals will be mailed quarterly starting March 1st, 2024.

Owners shall have an agent authorized to represent the short-term rental on their behalf, including but not limited to, a property management company, and/or a local contact person year-round.

A short-term rental, also known as a peer-to-peer rental, can be a commercially solicited rental, single-family dwelling, a secondary dwelling unit, multifamily dwelling unit, studio, condominium, townhouse, duplex, guesthouse, bedroom within an existing residential unit, tiny home, cabin, multi-person dwelling, yurt or similar structure, rented for the purpose of overnight lodging for a period of not less than one night and not more than thirty (30) days.

The Ordinance requires the following:
Interior Posting- of a local contact person and emergency evacuation information.

Smoke Alarms- in each bedroom and at least one alarm on every level including basements and habitable attics.

Carbon Monoxide Alarms- where there are fuel-fired appliances or fireplaces and shall be
installed outside each bedroom on every level of the unit, including basements and habitable
attics.

Fire Extinguisher- one five-pound type 2-A:10-B:C installed at a readily available location near
the kitchen. If more than one level, an extinguisher must be mounted within each level and
inspected annually by a certified professional.

Visible Address- Each short-term rental is to have an address identification following Tuolumne
County Ordinance Code 12.12.080

Defensible Space- shall meet all the requirements of California Public Resource Code 4291 and
Tuolumne County’s Hazardous Vegetation Ordinance 8.14, which can be found on the web at
www.readyforwildfire.org and www.tuolumnecounty.ca.gov/165/Tuolumne-County-Ordinance-Code

Short-term rental Ordinance 8.70 can be found on the web at www.tuolumnecounty.ca.gov/165/Tuolumne-County-Ordinance-Code

Please contact the Tuolumne County Fire Prevention Division at, 209-533-5502, or email fireprevention@co.tuolumne.ca.us after receiving your TOT returns, to schedule your Fire and Life Safety Inspection today.

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