California Short-Term Rental Laws by City (2026)
Short-term rental rules in California are set city by city — a property that is legal to rent nightly in one town can be prohibited a few miles away. The table below covers 12 California cities (12 human-verified against official sources), with each city's legal status, permit cost, and last-verified date.
Statewide short-term rental rules in California
California requires no statewide short-term rental license or registration and imposes no statewide lodging tax — regulation and transient occupancy taxes are left to cities and counties, and the state's newest STR law (Gov. Code sec. 50996, enacted by SB 346) expressly disclaims any preemption of local ordinances. Statewide consumer-protection laws still bind every STR: advertised prices must include all mandatory fees (AB 537), cleaning fees and required checkout chores must be disclosed (AB 2202), guests get a 24-hour penalty-free cancellation window on bookings made 72+ hours before check-in (SB 644), and since January 1, 2026 platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo must report host and listing data to cities that opt in (SB 346). In the coastal zone, appellate courts have held that STR bans are 'development' under the Coastal Act requiring Coastal Commission approval. City and county rules apply on top of state law — check your local market's page.
Full statewide rules: permits, taxes & enforcement
California requires no statewide short-term rental license or registration and imposes no statewide lodging tax — regulation and transient occupancy taxes are left to cities and counties, and the state's newest STR law (Gov. Code sec. 50996, enacted by SB 346) expressly disclaims any preemption of local ordinances. Statewide consumer-protection laws still bind every STR: advertised prices must include all mandatory fees (AB 537), cleaning fees and required checkout chores must be disclosed (AB 2202), guests get a 24-hour penalty-free cancellation window on bookings made 72+ hours before check-in (SB 644), and since January 1, 2026 platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo must report host and listing data to cities that opt in (SB 346). In the coastal zone, appellate courts have held that STR bans are 'development' under the Coastal Act requiring Coastal Commission approval. City and county rules apply on top of state law — check your local market's page.
Reviewed by the STR Rule Watch research team against 8 official sources. How we verify data
California statewide STR rules at a glance
| Legal status | Allowed, no permit required |
|---|---|
| Permit required | No |
| Renewal | No renewal required |
| Total occupancy taxes | ~0.2% of gross revenue |
| Insurance | No statewide insurance mandate for STR operators. The only statewide platform-notice law, Bus. & Prof. Code secs. 22590-22594 (SB 761, 2015), requires hosting platforms to warn tenant-hosts before listing that renting out a leased unit may violate their lease and could lead to eviction. |
| Enforcement | State-level rules are enforced mainly through civil penalties and local prosecutors: AB 537 (Bus. |
| Current rules effective | 2026-01-01 |
State law & local authority
California does NOT preempt local STR regulation — the opposite of Arizona/Florida-style laws. Cities and counties retain full police power to permit, cap, restrict, or ban short-term rentals, and the 2025 Short-Term Rental Facilitator law codifies this: Gov. Code sec. 50996 states nothing in the chapter 'shall be construed to preempt a local agency from adopting an ordinance that regulates short-term rentals, short-term rental facilitators, or the payment and collection of transient occupancy taxes in a manner different from the procedures prescribed in this chapter.' The one statewide check on local power is the California Coastal Act: in Greenfield v. Mandalay Shores Community Assn. (2018) and Kracke v. City of Santa Barbara (2021), the Court of Appeal held that banning STRs in the coastal zone changes the intensity of use and access and is 'development' requiring a coastal development permit or Local Coastal Program amendment approved by the California Coastal Commission — so coastal cities cannot ban STRs unilaterally. SB 60 (2021, Gov. Code secs. 25132 and 36900) additionally lets cities and counties fine STR ordinance violations that threaten health or safety at up to $1,500/$3,000/$5,000 — higher than ordinary code-violation fines.
State-level taxes
| Tax | Rate | Who collects |
|---|---|---|
| California Tourism Assessment (accommodations category)A business assessment ($1,950 per $1 million of travel-and-tourism gross revenue) paid by lodging businesses, including vacation rentals, to the California Office of Tourism/Visit California under Gov. Code sec. 13995 et seq.; revenue from stays of 31+ consecutive nights is exempt, and small operators below the program's revenue threshold are not assessed. It is NOT a guest occupancy tax. California has NO statewide lodging, occupancy, or sales tax on short-term stays — transient occupancy tax (TOT) is levied only by cities and counties (typically 6-15%+), which Airbnb/Vrbo collect in many jurisdictions under local voluntary collection agreements or ordinances. | 0.195% | host |
Enforcement & penalties
State-level rules are enforced mainly through civil penalties and local prosecutors: AB 537 (Bus. & Prof. Code sec. 17568.6, effective 2024-07-01) bans advertising STR rates that exclude mandatory fees, and AB 2202 (Bus. & Prof. Code sec. 17568.8, operative 2025-07-01) requires disclosure of cleaning fees and any chore-related penalties — each carries civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation, enforceable by city attorneys, district attorneys, county counsel, or the Attorney General. SB 644 (Civ. Code secs. 1748.80-1748.84) requires 24-hour penalty-free cancellation (bookings made 72+ hours pre-check-in) with full refunds within 30 days. Under SB 346 (Gov. Code secs. 50990-50996, effective 2026-01-01), cities that adopt an implementing ordinance can compel 'short-term rental facilitators' to report each rental's physical address (with 9-digit ZIP, APN, and listing URL where applicable) no more often than quarterly (monthly only where the agency requires monthly TOT remittance), require local license numbers and TOT certifications in listings, audit facilitators that collect and remit TOT under a local ordinance or collection agreement, and fine reporting violations consistent with Gov. Code sec. 53069.4. General dwelling-safety laws (smoke alarms per Health & Saf. Code sec. 13113.7; carbon monoxide devices per Health & Saf. Code sec. 17926) apply to all residential dwellings including STRs.
SB 60 (2021) authorizes local fines for STR ordinance violations that pose a threat to health or safety of up to $1,500 (first), $3,000 (second within a year), and $5,000 (each additional within a year), with a mandatory hardship-waiver process; the elevated fines do not apply to a first-time failure to register or pay a business license fee. Statewide consumer-law violations (AB 537 junk-fee ban; AB 2202 cleaning-fee disclosure) each carry civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation.
Statewide sources
- SB 346 (2025) — Local agencies: transient occupancy taxes: short-term rental facilitator (chaptered text, Gov. Code secs. 50990-50996)retrieved July 10, 2026
- SB 60 (2021) — Residential short-term rental ordinances: health or safety infractions: maximum fines (Gov. Code secs. 25132, 36900)retrieved July 10, 2026
- AB 2202 (2024) — Short-term rentals: disclosure: cleaning tasks (Bus. & Prof. Code sec. 17568.8)retrieved July 10, 2026
- SB 644 (2023) — Hotel and private residence rental reservations: cancellation: refunds (Civ. Code secs. 1748.80-1748.84)retrieved July 10, 2026
- AB 537 (2023) — Short-term lodging: advertising: rates (Bus. & Prof. Code sec. 17568.6)retrieved July 10, 2026
- SB 761 (2015) — Internet private residence rental listings: notice (Bus. & Prof. Code secs. 22590-22594)retrieved July 10, 2026
- Kracke v. City of Santa Barbara (2021) 63 Cal.App.5th 1089 — coastal-zone STR ban requires Coastal Act approvalretrieved July 10, 2026
- Avalara MyLodgeTax — California vacation rental tax guide (no statewide lodging tax; TOT is local)retrieved July 10, 2026
| City | Status | Permit fee | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bear Lake | Permit required | $635 | July 10, 2026 |
| Los Angeles | Primary residence only | $441 | July 10, 2026 |
| Palm Springs | Restricted | $1,046 | July 10, 2026 |
| Riverside | Permit required | — | July 21, 2026 |
| Riverside County | Permit required | $740 | July 12, 2026 |
| Sacramento | Restricted | $260 | July 21, 2026 |
| San Bernardino County | Permit required | $1,144 | July 12, 2026 |
| San Diego | Permit required | $1,170 | July 10, 2026 |
| San Francisco | Primary residence only | $925 | July 10, 2026 |
| San Jose | Restricted | None | July 21, 2026 |
| South Lake Tahoe | Permit required | $548 | July 10, 2026 |
| Yucca Valley | Permit required | $973 | July 10, 2026 |
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This page is informational only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Regulations change frequently — verify current requirements with each jurisdiction before operating. HOA and condo rules may prohibit short-term rentals regardless of city law — if your property is in an association, review California HOA law and your CC&Rs before listing.