Fresno County Moves 12% Hotel Tax Toward November Ballot

The Fresno County Board of Supervisors approved the first reading of an ordinance on April 7 that would establish a 12% transient occupancy tax on hotel and short-term rental stays of 30 days or less. The tax would only take effect if a majority of countywide voters approve it in November 2026.

Fresno County is one of three counties in California with no hotel tax. The proposed tax would apply to hotels, motels, and short-term rentals in unincorporated areas of the county. Guests staying in those lodgings would pay the tax; operators would collect it and send it to the county at least quarterly.

The rate matches what the cities of Clovis, Fresno, Kingsburg, and Selma currently charge. Neighboring counties charge between 6% and 12%. Under the proposed ordinance, a guest paying $200 for a one-night stay would owe $24 in tax.

The Board’s approval moves the measure toward a second reading on April 21, after which the Board could vote to place it on the November ballot. That separate vote has not yet occurred.

The staff report states the tax would shift costs “generated by visitor activity in unincorporated areas” away from local taxpayers. The Fresno/Clovis Convention and Visitors Bureau supports the measure. The report does not detail what visitor-related costs the county currently bears or how the revenue would be allocated if voters approve it.

The Breakdown

• The tax applies only to lodging stays of 30 days or less in unincorporated Fresno County.
• Lodging operators must collect the tax from guests and remit it to the county at least quarterly.
• Operators who fail to collect or remit face deficiency assessments and potential liens on their properties.
• The ordinance takes effect only if approved by a majority of voters countywide in November 2026.
• Placing the measure on the ballot itself requires a second Board vote, expected April 21.

What This Means for You

If this measure reaches the ballot and you vote yes, unincorporated areas of Fresno County would begin charging the same hotel tax as the cities of Fresno, Clovis, Kingsburg, and Selma. Your vote would decide whether visitors to those areas help pay for county services. The Board has advanced this toward the ballot; the next decision — whether it actually appears in November — comes April 21, and the final decision is yours at the polls.

What You Can Do

The Board of Supervisors meets April 21, 2026, for the second reading and potential vote to place this measure on the November ballot. If the measure is placed on the ballot, you will vote on it in the November 2026 election.

What to Watch

The staff report says the tax would shift “visitor-related costs” away from local taxpayers but does not state what those costs are, how much they total, or what services the revenue would fund. The Fresno/Clovis Convention and Visitors Bureau supports the measure, but the material does not say whether that organization would receive any of the revenue or what role it plays in spending decisions. If this reaches the ballot, ask: What specific county services does visitor activity strain, and what is the dollar amount? Where exactly does the revenue go — back to the areas that generated it, or into the general fund? Who decides how it is spent? The answers to those questions are not in the material the Board considered when it voted to advance this.