State

California short-term rental laws (2026)

California leaves short-term rentals to its cities and counties. The state's own rules reach the listing instead: the price you advertise, and the cleaning chores you ask of guests. Check the city first, then the county if the home sits outside city limits.^[1]

Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.

Aerial view of Bixby Bridge on Highway 1 along the Big Sur coast

Is Airbnb legal in California?

Legal, city by city

California issues no state license. Your city's ordinance decides, or the county's outside city limits.

9 official sources · verified October 1, 2026

Photo: John Bell on Unsplash

PermitNot required · None from the state. City rules vary
Primary residenceVaries
Number on listingNot required
Night capNone in state law

California short-term rental laws

California has no state short-term rental license and no state law that overrides local rules. Each city writes its own ordinance, and a county's rules cover only its unincorporated areas. The Short-Term Rental Facilitator Act of 2025 says plainly that it does not preempt a local ordinance. State law steps in on three points. A local government may tax stays of 30 days or less. A health or safety infraction of a short-term rental ordinance can be fined up to $1,500, then $3,000, then $5,000. Since July 1, 2024, the advertised price must include every mandatory fee.^[1]

Every California rule, sorted by what it asks

Filter by topic. Each line carries the number of its official source, listed at the bottom of the page.

You must

Check the ordinance of the city, or of the county outside city limits[1]
Advertise a rate that includes every mandatory fee[5]
Disclose cleaning tasks and any fee for skipping them, before booking[6]
Collect the local transient occupancy tax on stays of 30 days or less[4]

You must not

Add a required fee after showing the price[5]
Charge a cleaning-task penalty the listing did not disclose[6]

Not required

A state short-term rental license[1]
A state night cap[2]
A state insurance minimum[2]

Cities in this state

Short-term rental rules in 43 California cities and counties

Ranked by the share of housing the Census counts as seasonal. Places the Census figure does not cover come first.

Short-term rental rules by city in California
City or county	Local rule	Primary residence	Night cap	Seasonal homes per 1,000
Los Angeles short-term rental rules	Primary residence only	Required	120 days a year unless Extended
San Bernardino County short-term rental rules	Permit required	Not required	None published
San Diego short-term rental rules	Permit required	Varies	20 days a year on Tier 1
San Francisco short-term rental rules	Primary residence only	Required	90 nights a year when unhosted
South Lake Tahoe short-term rental rules	Restricted by zone	Varies	None published
Riverside County short-term rental rules	Permit required	Not required	None in the ordinance
Big Bear Lake short-term rental rulesSan Bernardino County, CA	License required	Not published	None published by the city	730
Mammoth Lakes short-term rental rulesMono County, CA	Allowed by zone	Not published	None in the municipal code	573
Truckee short-term rental rulesNevada County, CA	Capped	Not required	None in the municipal code	479
Carmel-by-the-Sea short-term rental rulesMonterey County, CA	Allowed by zone	Not published	Stays under 30 days barred in R-1	448
Indian Wells short-term rental rulesRiverside County, CA	Allowed by zone	Not published	29-night minimum stay, 7 nights in tennis periods	443
La Quinta short-term rental rulesRiverside County, CA	Allowed by zone	Varies	None published by the city	277
Palm Springs short-term rental rulesRiverside County, CA	Capped	Not published	26 contracts a year	271
Palm Desert short-term rental rulesRiverside County, CA	Permit required	Varies	None published by the city	270
Pismo Beach short-term rental rulesSan Luis Obispo County, CA	Allowed by zone	Varies	182 rental days a year for licensed short-term rentals	256
Avalon short-term rental rulesLos Angeles County, CA	License required	Not required	None published by the city	254
Del Mar short-term rental rulesSan Diego County, CA	Capped	Varies	No annual cap published, three-night minimum stay	168
Morro Bay short-term rental rulesSan Luis Obispo County, CA	Capped	Varies	None published by the city	152
Malibu short-term rental rulesLos Angeles County, CA	Permit required	Not required	None in Ordinance No. 468	150
Laguna Beach short-term rental rulesOrange County, CA	Allowed by zone	Not published	None published by the city	136
Cathedral City short-term rental rulesRiverside County, CA	Allowed by zone	Varies	None published by the city	126
Indio short-term rental rulesRiverside County, CA	Permit required	Not published	None published by the city	107
Dana Point short-term rental rulesOrange County, CA	Capped	Varies	60 days a year for Primary Residence permits	106
Monterey short-term rental rulesMonterey County, CA	Allowed by zone	Not published	Stays under 30 days prohibited	68
Twentynine Palms short-term rental rulesSan Bernardino County, CA	License required	Not required	None, with at least one rented day a year	54
Newport Beach short-term rental rulesOrange County, CA	Capped	Not published	None published, two-night minimum stay	52
Yucca Valley short-term rental rulesSan Bernardino County, CA	Permit required	Not required	None in Chapter 5.40 of the town code	47
Sonoma short-term rental rulesSonoma County, CA	Allowed by zone	Not published	None published by the city	45
Encinitas short-term rental rulesSan Diego County, CA	Permit required	Not published	None published, three-night minimum for non-hosted units	41
Oceanside short-term rental rulesSan Diego County, CA	Permit required	Varies	None published, two-night minimum stay	37
Santa Cruz short-term rental rulesSanta Cruz County, CA	Permit required	Required	None published by the city	35
Santa Barbara short-term rental rulesSanta Barbara County, CA	Allowed by zone	Not published	None published by the city	23
West Hollywood short-term rental rulesLos Angeles County, CA	License required	Required	None published by the city	18
Huntington Beach short-term rental rulesOrange County, CA	Permit required	Required	None published by the city	18
Santa Monica short-term rental rulesLos Angeles County, CA	Permit required	Required	None published by the city	14
Pasadena short-term rental rulesLos Angeles County, CA	Permit required	Required	90 days a year for unhosted stays	12
Long Beach short-term rental rulesLos Angeles County, CA	Registration required	Not required	90 un-hosted days a year in a primary residence	7
Berkeley short-term rental rulesAlameda County, CA	Certificate required	Required	90 days a year when the host is not present	7
Oakland short-term rental rulesAlameda County, CA	Allowed by zone	Not published	None published by the city	6
Temecula short-term rental rulesRiverside County, CA	Allowed by zone	Not published	Stays of up to 30 days prohibited	5
Sacramento short-term rental rulesSacramento County, CA	Permit required	Not required	90 days when the unit is not the primary residence	5
Anaheim short-term rental rulesOrange County, CA	Allowed by zone	Varies	No annual cap in the code, three-night minimum stay	3
San Jose short-term rental rulesSanta Clara County, CA	Capped	Varies	180 days a year with no host present	3

Five jurisdictions, same questions

The California column comes from the official sources on this page. The other columns show the headline rule from each WonderGuest page. Open a page for the full detail.

Short-term rental rules in California compared with other jurisdictions
Question	California	Arizona	Florida	Hawaii	Tennessee
Permit	Not requiredNone from the state. City rules vary	RequiredLocal permit where the city has one, $250 at most	RequiredState license, $170 a year	RequiredState GET and TAT licenses	RequiredCity permit where one exists
Primary residence	Varies	Not required	Not required	Varies	Varies
Night cap	None in state law	None the statute allows a city to set	None published by the state	No state cap, county rules vary	None. Under 30 nights is the definition
Number on listing	Not required	Required	Not required	Required	Not required
Where allowed	Wherever the local ordinance allows it	Everywhere: a ban is preempted	No local bans after June 1, 2011	Set by each county	City zoning decides, legacy status aside
Occupancy tax	Local only, on stays of 30 days or less	Transient lodging tax under 30 nights	6% state tax, Airbnb collects	11% state TAT plus county TAT	City room occupancy tax, 4% ceiling
Fine without permit	Set locally, capped by state law	Up to $1,000 a month	Second-degree misdemeanor	$500 fine, $2,000 if cash-based	Use suspended while unpermitted
		Arizona short-term rental rules	Florida short-term rental rules	Hawaii short-term rental rules	Tennessee short-term rental rules

Keep exploring

Coming up

What's changing

No change with an effective date appears in the official sources on this page as of October 1, 2026.

FAQ

California short-term rental questions

Is Airbnb legal in California?

Yes at state level. California issues no short-term rental license and bans nothing statewide. Whether you can host at a given address depends on the city's ordinance, or the county's outside city limits.^[1]

Does California have a statewide short-term rental law?

Not one that sets permits or zoning. The Short-Term Rental Facilitator Act of 2025 covers booking platforms. It applies only where a local government opts in. It states that it does not preempt local ordinances.^[1]

How much can a California city fine a short-term rental host?

For an infraction that threatens public health or safety, up to $1,500 the first time. The ceiling is $3,000 for a second violation within one year. It is $5,000 for each one after that.^[2]

Do California listings have to show cleaning fees up front?

Yes. Since July 1, 2024, the advertised rate must include every fee required to stay, except government taxes. Since July 1, 2025, a listing must also describe any cleaning tasks guests are penalized for skipping.^[5]

Who collects occupancy tax on a California short-term rental?

The city, or the county in unincorporated areas. State law lets them tax stays of 30 days or less. Each one sets its own rate.^[4]

Sources

Short-Term Rental Facilitator Act of 2025 (SB 346), Government Code sections 50990 to 50996, California Legislative Information, read on October 1, 2026
Government Code section 36900, fines for city ordinance violations, California Legislative Information, read on October 1, 2026
Government Code section 25132, fines for county ordinance violations, California Legislative Information, read on October 1, 2026
Revenue and Taxation Code section 7280, local occupancy tax, California Legislative Information, read on October 1, 2026
Business and Professions Code section 17568.6, lodging price display, California Legislative Information, read on October 1, 2026
Business and Professions Code section 17568.8, cleaning task disclosure, California Legislative Information, read on October 1, 2026
Business Taxes Law Guide, additional local taxes, chapter 1, occupancy taxes, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, read on October 1, 2026
City of Long Beach to begin enforcement of registered short-term rentals in coastal zone (August 10, 2022), City of Long Beach, read on October 1, 2026
Short-term lodging, City of Laguna Beach, read on October 1, 2026

This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 1, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.

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