Dana Point, CA short-term rental limits

What Dana Point asks of you

• The rules apply to rentals of at least two consecutive nights, up to thirty consecutive calendar days.^[5]

• Inside the Coastal Zone the rules are those of Coastal Development Permit A-5-DPT-22-0038. Outside it, Municipal Code Chapter 5.38 governs.^[6]

• The Coastal Zone cap of 115 covers Non-Primary, Multi-Family Home Stay and Mixed-Use Non-Primary permits.^[5]

• Each new Home Stay permit issued in the Coastal Zone lowers that cap by one, as does each new Primary Residence permit.^[5]

• Outside the Coastal Zone, 115 permits may be issued for any type of rental, of which no more than 60 are Non-Primary.^[6]

• Permit priority goes first to Primary STRs together with Home Stay STRs. Non-Primary STRs come last.^[4]

• A Home Stay owner rents part of the dwelling while living in it. That owner stays on the parcel overnight, and the required presence begins at 10:00 p.m.^[5]

• A Primary Residence permit allows at most 60 rental days in each 12-month period, counted from the issue date.^[5]

• Primary Residence applicants show a homeowner's exemption plus a second record, such as an income tax return.^[5]

• No permit is issued for an Accessory Dwelling Unit, a Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit or a designated affordable housing unit.^[5]

• In a building of six units upward, the share open to conversion is 20%. Smaller buildings get a single unit.^[5]

• Permits are limited to one per Property Owner, whatever the category.^[5]

• The permit expires on the date title transfers in a sale. An heir or family transferee may apply for a transfer.^[5]

• A fee for issuance of the permit is established by the City Council.^[5]

• The city's short-term rental page states no fee amount.^[4]

• Outside the Coastal Zone, four permit types pay 75% of the fee, among them Home Stay.^[6]

• In the Coastal Zone the 75% rate applies to Mixed-Use Parcel permits.^[5]

• The application includes a transient occupancy tax registration certificate issued by the City.^[5]

• Proof of $1,000,000 in general liability insurance, combined single limit, goes with the application.^[5]

• The dwelling must pass an initial inspection by the City before the permit is issued.^[5]

• Permits are renewed annually on March 1. A permit with no rentals during a permit year is not renewed, unless the city waives the rule for renovation or good cause.^[5]

• The STR Permit number goes in the subject line of every advertisement and in the description. Photographs used in advertising carry the number in the lower right-hand corner.^[5]

• A unit sleeps two persons for each bedroom, then two more for the whole rental. Daytime occupancy is 2.5 times that figure, never above twenty persons.^[5]

• The rental needs at least two off-street parking spaces. A one-bedroom unit is allowed one vehicle, larger units two.^[5]

• The primary renter must be an adult aged twenty-five or older who stays in the rental.^[5]

• Quiet hours begin at 10:00 p.m., after which no outside noise may be heard. By 7:00 a.m. the quiet period is over.^[5]

• After a complaint, the owner or agent has thirty minutes to act on the problem.^[5]

• The first violation carries the maximum monetary amount allowed per State law, as does the second. A third violation brings immediate revocation.^[5]

• In the Coastal Zone an application must show the rental is not legally prohibited by the homeowners association's CC&Rs.^[4]

What California asks wherever you host

These rules apply at this address whatever the city decides.

• No state license exists for short-term rentals in California. The state's 2025 act on booking platforms says it does not preempt a local short-term rental ordinance.^[1]

• Since July 1, 2024, every mandatory fee has to sit inside the rate you advertise. Only government taxes and fees may be added later.^[2]

• State law caps city fines when a short-term rental violation threatens health or safety. The first ceiling is $1,500. A second violation within the year reaches $3,000, each later one $5,000.^[3]