Los Angeles short-term rental laws (2026)
Los Angeles calls it Home-Sharing, and the name is the rule. Short-term rentals are legal only in your primary residence, where you live more than six months a year, after you register with Los Angeles City Planning. A Regular registration allows 120 days a year, and Extended Home-Sharing removes the cap after six months of registration or 60 hosted days. You can rent the whole home while you are out of town, but rent-stabilized units are excluded. The registration number goes on every listing, and hosting past 120 days without Extended status is fined $2,000 a day.[1]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified September 14, 2026.
Is Airbnb legal in Los Angeles?
Legal, in your primary residence
With a Home-Sharing registration, for up to 120 days a year unless you hold Extended Home-Sharing.
8 official sources · verified September 14, 2026
Photo: Venti Views on Unsplash
- PermitRequired · $441 base fee, adjusted each year
- Primary residenceRequired
- Number on listingRequired
- Night cap120 days a year unless Extended
Every Los Angeles 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
- Register for Home-Sharing with City Planning[1]
- Live in the home more than six months of the year[1][2]
- Provide photo ID and proof of residence[1]
- Renters: have your landlord sign a notarized Landlord Affidavit[1]
- Show your registration number on every listing[1]
- Renew every 12 months, applying up to 60 days before expiry[1]
- Hold a Regular registration 6 months or host 60 days before Extended[1]
- Host only in zones where residential use is permitted by right[2][4]
- ADU permit filed since 2017: host only if the ADU is your primary residence[2]
- Provide fire extinguishers, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, exit info[2]
- Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone: say no outdoor smoking in ads and on patios[2]
- Get a TOT registration certificate within 30 days of starting[7]
- Report your nights and pay a per-night fee every month[1]
You must not
- Host more than 120 days a year without Extended Home-Sharing[2]
- Hold more than one registration or run more than one unit at a time[2]
- Transfer the registration, even when you move[3]
- Have an open code violation, citation, order or ticket on the property[1]
- Home-Share a home under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance[1]
- Home-Share the other unit of a duplex you live in[3]
- Home-Share in a vehicle, shed, trailer, tent or temporary structure[2]
- Let more than one listing at the property be booked at a time[3]
- Host more than 2 overnight guests per habitable room, children not counted[2]
- Allow amplified sound after 10:00 pm or evening outdoor gatherings over 8[2]
What a new permit costs
Base fees under Ordinance No. 188,796, in effect since February 23, 2026
$441Regular application
- Regular Home-Sharing$441
- Regular renewal$441
- Extended clearance or renewal$883
- Extended discretionary review$12,798
Base fees are adjusted every year for inflation using the Los Angeles area Consumer Price Index.[6]
How to apply in Los Angeles
Official name: Home-Sharing registration (Regular or Extended)
- 1
Check that the home is your primary residence, is not under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (Housing tab in ZIMAS) and has no open code violations.[1]
- 2
If you rent, have your landlord sign the Landlord Affidavit before a notary.[1]
- 3
Apply through City Planning's online registration portal with your photo ID and proof of residence, and pay the fee.[1]
- 4
Register with the Office of Finance and get a Business Tax Registration Certificate.[1]
- 5
Once City Planning issues your registration number, display it on every Home-Sharing listing.[1]
Four jurisdictions, same questions
The Los Angeles 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.
| Question | Los Angeles | San Bernardino County | San Diego | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permit | Required$441 base fee, adjusted each year | Required$1,144 new, 1 year | Required$226 to $1,170 by tier, 2 years | Required$925 application, 2 years |
| Primary residence | Required | Not required | Varies | Required |
| Night cap | 120 days a year unless Extended | None published | 20 days a year on Tier 1 | 90 nights a year when unhosted |
| Number on listing | Required | Required | Required | Required |
| Where allowed | Your primary residence only | Mountain and Desert Regions only | All zones, ADUs excluded | Your primary residence only |
| Occupancy tax | 14% city TOT, Airbnb collects | 7% county TOT, Airbnb collects | 11.75 to 13.75% TOT, Airbnb collects | 14% TOT, Airbnb collects |
| Fine without permit | $500 a day, or 2x nightly if higher | $1,000 per violation per day | Not published | From $484 per day per unit |
| San Bernardino County rules | San Diego rules | San Francisco rules |
Coming up
What's changing
No change with an effective date appears in the official sources on this page as of September 14, 2026.
FAQ
Los Angeles short-term rental questions
Do Airbnbs have to be primary residences in Los Angeles?
Do I need a permit to host on Airbnb in Los Angeles?
Can I host more than 120 days a year in Los Angeles?
Can I Home-Share a rent-stabilized apartment in Los Angeles?
How do I report an unregistered Airbnb next door in Los Angeles?
Sources
- Home-Sharing program page, Los Angeles City Planning, read on September 14, 2026
- Home-Sharing Ordinance No. 185,931 (LAMC 12.22 A.32), City of Los Angeles, read on September 14, 2026
- Home-Sharing Ordinance background and FAQs, Los Angeles City Planning, read on September 14, 2026
- Home-Sharing Administrative Guidelines (June 28, 2019), Los Angeles City Planning, read on September 14, 2026
- Updated Home-Sharing Administrative Guidelines (July 14, 2026), Los Angeles City Planning, read on September 14, 2026
- Ordinance No. 188,796, comprehensive fee update, City of Los Angeles, read on September 14, 2026
- Transient Occupancy Tax requirements, City of Los Angeles Office of Finance, read on September 14, 2026
- Occupancy tax collection and remittance in California, Airbnb Help Center, read on September 14, 2026
This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on September 14, 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 house rules
Generate a complete PDF house rules document for your property: rules, schedule, amenities, emergency contacts.
Rental arbitrage calculator
Rent, deposit, furnishing, nightly rate and occupancy. You get monthly cash flow, the occupancy you break even at, and how long the setup takes to pay back.
Check-in instructions
The message a guest reads before getting in: access, keys, WiFi, parking, contact. English or bilingual output.