Where short-term rentals are allowed in Laguna Beach, CA
Short-term lodging is no longer allowed in Laguna Beach's R-1, R-2 and R-3 residential districts. Units permitted there earlier are legal nonconforming, so they may continue to operate. That use runs with the land as opposed to the owner.[4]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Laguna Beach?
Your zoning decides
What you apply for: Short-Term Lodging Unit License
- Seasonal homes
- 1,842
- Housing units
- 13,598
- Residents
- 22,710
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleAllowed by zone
- City feeNone published
- Tax on each stay14%
- Seasonal homes136 per 1,000
Laguna Beach short-term rental license
Laguna Beach allows new short-term lodging in listed commercial and mixed-use districts, including five districts of the Downtown Specific Plan. An Administrative Use Permit is required there, or a Conditional Use Permit in the SLV district. Operators also need a Short-Term Lodging Unit License, a City business license and Transient Occupancy Tax registration. The city caps short-term lodging at 300 units city-wide. A further 165 home-share units are permitted. The city has operators collect 14% on all rental revenue, of which 12% is its transient occupancy tax. Enforcement of the license chapter began October 1, 2025.[4]
What Laguna Beach asks of you
Chapter 25.23 defines short-term as occupancy of a lodging unit for thirty consecutive calendar days at most.[6]
Short-term lodging is allowed in the LB/P, C-N, C-1 and CH-M zoning districts with an Administrative Use Permit.[4]
Five districts of the Downtown Specific Plan are open on the same terms, among them CBD-1 and CBD-2.[4]
In the SLV zoning district the approval needed is a Conditional Use Permit.[4]
No more than 20% of units in commercial and mixed-use districts may be converted, with a maximum of 300 units city-wide.[4]
An additional 165 home-share units are permitted, and the city waives their use permit fee.[4]
A property with up to five units may convert a single unit. Larger properties may convert 20% of their units.[4]
New use permits are valid for three years after approval, then must be renewed.[4]
The Short-Term Lodging Unit License is typically valid for up to three years, matching the use permit term.[4]
A City business license is required every year, and failing to maintain it can lead to revocation of the license.[4]
The city's page gives July 1, 2025 as the effective date of Chapter 5.84, with enforcement from October 1, 2025.[4]
The ordinance adopted June 24, 2025 says it takes effect thirty days after its adoption.[5]
That ordinance leaves license fees to a City Council resolution. The city's short-term lodging page lists no amount.[5]
It also asks for a $1,500 surety bond with the license application.[5]
For a new application, residences and businesses within 200 feet are notified at least 30 days before issuance.[4]
Every advertisement and listing has to show the license number.[4]
The contact named in the nuisance response plan answers complaints within 60 minutes, around the clock.[4]
Chapter 25.23 allows two overnight guests per bedroom at most.[6]
Vehicles are limited to the on-site parking spaces, and none may park on a street serving residential homes.[6]
Chapter 25.23 keeps sound equipment inaudible to adjacent residences after 10:00 p.m. each evening. At 10:00 a.m., the restriction lifts.[6]
The owner must maintain liability insurance of not less than $500,000.[6]
The use permit application includes evidence of a safety inspection by the Laguna Beach Fire Department.[6]
The ordinance adopted June 24, 2025 sets a $1,000 fine for a first violation. A second within 12 months costs $3,000, and later ones $5,000.[5]
Chapter 25.23 sets its administrative citation at $1,000 per violation, for the first violation and any additional one.[6]
Once revoked, a license cannot be reissued for at least three years.[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]
What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Laguna Beach
Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.
| Layer | Rate | Remitted to |
|---|---|---|
| Laguna Beach transient occupancy tax[4] | 12% | The city |
| Laguna Beach Tourism Marketing District assessment[4] | 2% | The city |
| Total on a taxable stay | 14% |
Operators file quarterly TOT reports even when no rentals occurred. A platform that collects payments must also collect the 12% tax and the 2% assessment, then remit them to the City.[4]
Airbnb taxes for hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Laguna Beach is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 1,842 of Laguna Beach's 13,598 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 136 out of every 1,000. It ranks Laguna Beach 14th of the 37 California cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 14th of 37
- Share of housing
- 136 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $2,000,001
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Laguna Beach sits among its neighbors
San Bernardino County, CA
Permit required
Only in the Mountain and Desert Regions. Anywhere else in unincorporated county land, short-term rentals are not allowed.
San Bernardino County short-term rental rulesDana Point, CA
Capped
1,744 seasonal homes, 106 per 1,000 housing units.
Dana Point short-term rental rulesNewport Beach, CA
Capped
2,356 seasonal homes, 52 per 1,000 housing units.
Newport Beach short-term rental rulesCathedral City, CA
Allowed by zone
2,843 seasonal homes, 126 per 1,000 housing units.
Cathedral City short-term rental rulesFAQ
Laguna Beach short-term rental questions
Can I run an Airbnb in a Laguna Beach residential neighborhood?
How many short-term rentals does Laguna Beach allow?
What does the Laguna Beach short-term lodging license cost?
What taxes does a Laguna Beach short-term rental collect?
Sources
- Short-Term Rental Facilitator Act of 2025 (SB 346), Government Code sections 50990 to 50996, 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
- Government Code section 36900, fines for city ordinance violations, California Legislative Information, read on October 1, 2026
- Short-Term Lodging, City of Laguna Beach, read on October 1, 2026
- Agenda report of June 24, 2025, adoption of the ordinance adding Chapter 5.84, Short-Term Lodging Units, City of Laguna Beach, read on October 1, 2026
- Municipal Code Chapter 25.23, Short-Term Lodging, as attached to the agenda report of February 25, 2025, 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.
Before you list
Free tools for new hosts
Short-term rental agreement generator
Parties, dates, rent, deposit checked against your state's cap, and the house rules clauses you enforce. A signed-ready PDF for direct and Vrbo bookings.
Airbnb host fee calculator
What Airbnb takes on a booking under the 15.5% host-only fee or the old split fee, what the guest pays on top, and the payout that reaches you.
Airbnb cleaning checklist generator
Build a printable turnover checklist by room, with restock, photos to take and a place for the cleaner to sign. Free PDF, no sign-up.
Check-in instructions
The message a guest reads before getting in: access, keys, WiFi, parking, contact. English or bilingual output.