Regulated by San Luis Obispo County (unincorporated). Santa Margarita is unincorporated and in the County’s non-coastal zone, so an Inland Vacation Rental Clearance, business licence and Transient Occupancy Tax certificate are the requirement. As everywhere inland, a vacation rental cannot be an accessory dwelling unit, guesthouse or agricultural worker housing, and a parcel under a Williamson Act contract needs its own separate clearance — which is common on the ranch land around here.
9% county Transient Occupancy Tax plus 1.5% Tourism Marketing District, and a further 2% Tourism Business Improvement District in some areas.
New permits are available in Santa Margarita, so you can start from scratch here — but if you already hold one, switching is the faster route. Your permit stays in your name either way. How switching works.
Ranch country at the top of the Cuesta Grade, and open. Google already shows owners here looking for management, which is more than can be said for several bigger towns on this list.
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Permit rules and tax rates change. Confirm current requirements with San Luis Obispo County (unincorporated).