Del Mar, CA short-term rental limits

What Del Mar asks of you

• Chapter 30.96 covers a dwelling unit rented for no longer than thirty consecutive calendar days. Home exchanges are exempt, as are rentals for a month.^[5]

• The maximum number of STR Permits is 129, which the ordinance equates to 5% of dwelling units in the 2020 Census.^[5]

• Raising that number takes an ordinance amendment approved by the City Council and the California Coastal Commission.^[5]

• The city confirmed 150 Existing STRs, which the ordinance accommodates. New permits wait until capacity opens under the cap.^[4]

• New owners may join the STR Permit Waitlist. Permits will be issued on a first-to-apply, first-to-be-eligible basis.^[4]

• An Existing STR is one whose owner registered it with the City by December 31, 2024. It loses that status when the property changes ownership.^[5]

• New STRs outside a Primary Residence are prohibited. A Primary Residence is where the Owner lives more than six months per year.^[5]

• The ordinance spreads rentals over three neighborhoods, with 60% at most in North Beach and 25% in South Bluff. The Hills neighborhood is held to 15%.^[5]

• A lot with one dwelling unit may hold one STR. A condominium lot of three units upward may devote 10% of its primary units.^[5]

• STRs are prohibited in rental apartment developments in residential zones. The same goes for an Accessory Dwelling Unit located there.^[5]

• The fee for existing operators is $815, set by the City Council on February 17, 2026. Renewal of the two-year permit costs $598.^[6]

• The fee notice of February 23, 2026 names existing operators only. It states no amount for a new permit.^[6]

• A permit lasts two years from issuance. It ends automatically when ownership of the dwelling unit transfers.^[5]

• Evidence of property liability insurance goes in the application, with $1,000,000 as the minimum, combined single limit.^[5]

• The owner signs a self-certification inspection form under penalty of perjury, before issuance and before each renewal.^[5]

• A homeowners association's written consent is part of the file, where one exists.^[5]

• After issuance, the City mails notice to all property owners within 300 feet of the rental.^[5]

• The Designated Local Contact Person addresses complaints within thirty minutes of receipt, every day of the week.^[5]

• The overnight limit is two persons for each Bedroom, to which two persons are added per dwelling unit.^[5]

• Noise plainly audible at fifty feet after 10:00 p.m. is a prima facie violation. Once 8:00 a.m. arrives, the standard no longer applies.^[5]

• Guest hours open at 8:00 a.m. daily. At 10:00 p.m., they are over.^[5]

• The primary occupant must be at least twenty-five years of age.^[5]

• The valid STR Permit is affixed inside the main entry door. An exterior sign of at least 8.5 by 11 inches shows the permit number.^[5]

• The STR Permit number provided by the City appears in every advertisement, including those on booking websites.^[5]

• Weddings, receptions and corporate events are strictly prohibited.^[5]

• Violations draw the fine amounts of Government Code Section 36900(d). Ordinance No. 1010 itself states no dollar figure.^[5]

• After a revocation, no STR may operate at the property for twelve months.^[5]

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]