How to get a short-term rental permit in Palm Springs, CA (2026)
Palm Springs requires Vacation Rental Registration Certificate — the fee is $1,046, renewed annual. Here's how to get and keep it.
Permit at a glance
| Permit required | Yes |
|---|---|
| Permit name | Vacation Rental Registration Certificate |
| Permit fee | $1,046 |
| Renewal | Annual |
Step by step
- 1
Confirm your property is eligible
Confirm the property's zoning allows short-term rentals. Ordinance 2075 (adopted 2022-11-28) allows vacation rentals and homesharing only as 'ancillary and secondary' uses of residential property, limits them to single-family dwelling units, and prohibits them in apartments. It caps Vacation Rental Registration Certificates at 20% of total residential dwelling units in each Organized Neighborhood: applications for properties in neighborhoods at or above 20% are returned (a waiting list is available). The 20% caps do not apply to Junior or Homeshare certificates. Estate Homes (single-family dwellings with 5 or more bedrooms) additionally require a one-time Land Use Permit and certificates are issued for use of at most 5 or 6 bedrooms. Properties in HOAs must submit an HOA letter confirming STR use does not violate CC&Rs. Instead of a night cap, annual contract caps apply: 26 contracts/year for new permittees (application filed after 2022-10-17); 32 contracts plus up to 4 additional third-quarter contracts for existing permittees; 6 contracts/year under a Junior certificate; no contract limit for owner-present Homeshares.
- 2
Apply for the Vacation Rental Registration Certificate
Submit the Vacation Rental Registration Certificate application to Palm Springs and pay the $1,046 fee. Per Resolution No. 25344 (adopted 2025-09-25), effective December 1, 2025: Vacation Rental new/annual registration $1,046; Junior Vacation Rental (max 6 contracts/yr) $523; Homeshare $261; one-time Land Use Permit for Estate Homes (5+ bedrooms) $647; certificate transfer fee $222; Administrative Appeals Board appeal fee $1,324. A one-time $25 Transient Occupancy Tax Permit is also required. Note: as of May 2026 the city's certificate application page still displayed the pre-December 2025 fee of $1,072 (with $453 Estate Home LUP), which conflicts with the fee schedule announced on the city's main Vacation Rentals page; the December 1, 2025 schedule is the most recent official fee action.
- 3
Register for occupancy taxes
Register to collect and remit the applicable lodging/occupancy taxes for Palm Springs. Some are collected automatically by the booking platform and some you may need to remit yourself.
- 4
Renew on schedule
The permit renews annual — set a reminder so it never lapses, since operating on an expired permit typically triggers fines.
STR rules change without warning.
Get an email the moment Palm Springs changes its short-term rental rules — plus renewal reminders before your permit expires.
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Verified July 10, 2026. Informational only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Permit requirements and fees change; confirm current requirements with Palm Springs before applying.