Pine Mountain Club, California Short-Term Rental Market
Pine Mountain Club STRs averaged $141/night at 59.1% occupancy in April 2026, with buyer eligibility frozen to pre-2022 owners only.
Quick Answer: Pine Mountain Club, California is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 59%. average monthly revenue is $2,268. average daily rate is $141. the top operator is Evolve with 177 listings. market score is 57/100 (grade C).
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Pine Mountain Club is a small mountain community in Kern County, California, sitting at 4,900 to 6,400 feet elevation inside Los Padres National Forest, roughly 90 miles north of Los Angeles. As of April 2026, the STR market shows approximately 9,773 active listings, dominated by entire-place rentals (7,098) with 2,664 private rooms and 11 shared rooms. The average daily rate is $141, occupancy sits at 59.1%, and RevPAR is $83.
The bedroom mix skews toward 1-bedroom units (4,549), with 3-bedroom (1,993), 2-bedroom (1,548), 4-bedroom (1,212), and 5-bedroom-plus (463) rounding out the distribution. Airbnb-exclusive listings total 6,913, VRBO-exclusive 292, and 2,568 listings cross-list on both platforms.
Year-over-year as of April 2026, occupancy declined 0.5%, ADR fell 0.6%, and revenue dropped 2.8%, reflecting a soft correction from the post-pandemic peak years of 2021 and 2022. The market total score is 57.4 out of 100. A critical regulatory constraint governs this market: the Pine Mountain Club Property Owners Association (PMCPOA) permanently bars any owner who acquired title after January 15, 2022 from operating a short-term rental. This is not a temporary restriction.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55% | $106 | $1,694 |
| Feb | 61% | $111 | $1,725 |
| Mar | 61% | $112 | $1,932 |
| Apr | 61% | $117 | $1,947 |
| May | 64% | $121 | $2,055 |
| Jun | 67% | $126 | $2,264 |
| Jul | 67% | $125 | $2,308 |
| Aug | 63% | $122 | $2,154 |
| Sep | 61% | $118 | $1,948 |
| Oct | 61% | $116 | $1,979 |
| Nov | 58% | $115 | $1,826 |
| Dec | 57% | $116 | $1,861 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Pine Mountain Club
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 177 | 4,215 | ★ 4.55 |
| 2 | Stay Smart | 85 | 925 | ★ 4.36 |
| 3 | Guest Equity, Inc. | 47 | 4,153 | ★ 4.71 |
| 4 | Fresno Short Term Rentals | 43 | 3,803 | ★ 4.86 |
| 5 | LUSH Garden Hideaway | 42 | 875 | ★ 4.95 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Pine Mountain Club?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 4,549 |
| 2 bed | 1,548 |
| 3 bed | 1,993 |
| 4 bed | 1,212 |
| 5 bed | 463 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $171 |
| Luxury | $258 |
| Professionally Managed | $187 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $1,639 |
| Entire Place | $2,713 |
| House | $2,372 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 70.7% |
| vrbo | 3% |
| both | 26.3% |
Investment Analysis
Pine Mountain Club’s investment picture requires a direct statement upfront: buyers who acquired or acquire property after January 15, 2022 are permanently barred from operating short-term rentals under PMCPOA rules. This cutoff effectively freezes the eligible STR operator pool to pre-2022 owners. Anyone purchasing today cannot legally operate an STR in this community.
For pre-2022 owners already operating, the financial data is as follows. The average listing earned $2,268 in April 2026, and annualizing April revenue projects to approximately $27,200 per year under full-year operation. Against a typical home value of $379,610, that implies a gross yield of approximately 7.2%. The median list price was $432,667 in the April 2026 snapshot.
Entire-place listings average $2,713 per month and house listings average $2,372. Luxury-tier properties average $258 ADR versus the all-listings average of $141, a 1.8x premium. Professionally managed listings average $187 ADR, a 33% premium over the all-listings average, suggesting professional management does add rate upside in this market.
For any investor researching this market, the key question before analysis proceeds is whether they hold pre-January 15, 2022 title. Without that, the revenue data is academic.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Pine Mountain Club bookings in April 2026 averaged a lead time of 28.1 days, the shortest of any market in the current batch. Guests typically book less than a month in advance, consistent with spontaneous Los Angeles weekend-escape decision-making. This short booking window means dynamic pricing tools must be responsive and rates should not be lowered early in anticipation of last-minute fills.
The average length of stay is 5.0 nights, which is above the typical weekend-getaway benchmark of 2 to 3 nights. The 5-night average suggests the market captures both standard 2-night weekend stays and extended weeklong mountain retreats, particularly from remote-work-era guests who extend Sunday departures into midweek.
The short lead time combined with a 5-night average stay means hosts receive relatively late confirmation of a large portion of their income. Minimum-stay policies of 2 nights for weekends and 3 to 4 nights for holiday weekends are common practices in comparable mountain markets.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Pine Mountain Club STR rules operate under two stacked layers: Kern County and PMCPOA.
At the county level, any rental of 30 days or less in unincorporated Kern County requires a Transient Occupancy Tax certificate from the Kern County Treasurer-Tax Collector. Registration is free. The TOT rate is 6%, remitted quarterly. Late filings carry a 10% penalty plus 1.5% monthly interest. Hosts must carry liability insurance and comply with Kern County noise and parking ordinances.
The PMCPOA layer contains the market-defining restriction: any owner who acquired title on or after January 15, 2022 is permanently barred from operating a short-term rental of fewer than 30 consecutive days. This cutoff is not grandfathered on a rolling basis. It is a fixed date. Pre-January 15, 2022 owners may continue to operate if they register with the association, hold a Kern County TOT certificate, pay the annual PMCPOA STR fee (set by the board), and submit a Short-Term Guest Card Application for each guest before arrival.
There is no owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement for eligible (pre-2022) operators. Enforcement severity is rated moderate. The PMCPOA originally set the cutoff at October 1, 2020 and later moved it to January 15, 2022.
Market Comparison
Pine Mountain Club’s 59.1% April occupancy is above the national STR median of approximately 55%, which is notable given the community’s small size (population 2,422) and strict ownership eligibility rules. The ADR of $141 is well below the US median of approximately $220, consistent with the market’s position as an affordable mountain escape rather than a premium resort destination.
Among the top operators, Evolve leads with 177 listings and 4,215 reviews at a 4.55 rating, representing roughly 1.8% of all listings. Guest Equity, Inc. holds 47 listings with 4,153 reviews at a 4.71 rating. Fresno Short Term Rentals manages 43 listings with the highest rating in the top five at 4.86. Collectively the top five operators manage 394 listings, approximately 4.0% of the market.
The total market score of 57.4 is lower than most comparable mountain markets, reflecting the regulatory constraint score of 63.0 and the revenue growth score of 48.8, which reflects ADR and revenue softening since the 2021 peak. The seasonality score of 98.8 is among the highest in the data, reflecting consistent year-round demand.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pine Mountain Club, California
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