Palm Desert, CA short-term rental permit
Where your home sits decides whether Palm Desert will permit it. The R1 and R2 zones admit only an On-Site Owner permit. Off-site owners are eligible in zones such as RE, R3 and Downtown.[4]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Palm Desert?
Get a permit first
What you apply for: Short-Term Rental Permit
- Seasonal homes
- 9,988
- Housing units
- 37,028
- Residents
- 51,990
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City rulePermit required
- City fee$29
- Tax on each stay12%
- Seasonal homes270 per 1,000
Palm Desert short-term rental permit
Palm Desert requires a Short-Term Rental Permit before you advertise a home for 27 consecutive nights or less. The permit costs $29, whether new or renewed. It is valid for one year, with renewal due 30 calendar days before expiration. Each property needs a separate permit. Renting without a valid permit brings a $5,000 fine for the first citation. Operational violations start at $1,000, rise to $3,000, then reach $5,000 with a two-year revocation.[4]
What Palm Desert asks of you
The city defines a short-term rental as a privately owned dwelling rented for two to twenty-seven consecutive nights.[4]
Short-term rentals are prohibited in the R1 and R2 zones, excluding On-Site Owner permits.[4]
An On-Site Owner lives in the main unit during the rental, which must be that owner's primary residence. One or more bedrooms are rented.[4]
In the PR and HPR zones, a home governed by an HOA needs an HOA approval letter. Without an HOA, the owner must be on-site.[4]
Existing off-site permits in the HPR zone may be renewed but cease operation by December 31, 2026.[4]
Off-site owners are eligible in the RE and R3 zones. The same holds in the Downtown and Downtown Edge District zones.[4]
Apartments, timeshares and accessory dwelling units cannot be used as short-term rentals.[4]
The minimum rental is three days and two nights.[4]
An HOA Letter of Approval must be submitted annually for a home in an HOA community.[4]
Overnight guests may not exceed two persons per bedroom. Additional daytime guests are allowed once seven a.m. has passed. Their window closes at ten p.m., with a ceiling of twenty guests at five bedrooms or more.[4]
The Good Neighbor Brochure says short-term renters must be at least 25 years of age.[5]
Renters park in the garage, carport or driveway, since public street parking is prohibited at all times.[5]
Under the brochure, sound-emitting devices go quiet outside at 10 p.m. each night. They stay off until 10 a.m. the next day.[5]
Before occupancy, the operator meets the renter on-site and copies a valid government-issued identification.[4]
Failing to respond to a complaint within 30 minutes is an operational violation.[4]
So is an advertisement that omits the current short-term rental permit number.[4]
A property management company with three or more short-term rentals needs an active business license first.[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 Palm Desert
Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.
| Layer | Rate | Remitted to |
|---|---|---|
| Palm Desert transient occupancy tax[4] | 11% | The city |
| Greater Palm Springs Tourism Business Improvement District assessment[4] | 1% | The city |
| Total on a taxable stay | 12% |
Palm Desert says Airbnb remits the 11% tax on your behalf under an agreement dated August 1, 2016. You still send the 1% district assessment to the city each month. A return is due by the last day of each month, rented or not.[4]
Airbnb taxes for hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Palm Desert is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 9,988 of Palm Desert's 37,028 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 270 out of every 1,000. It ranks Palm Desert 8th of the 37 California cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 8th of 37
- Share of housing
- 270 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $542,000
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Palm Desert sits among its neighbors
Riverside County, CA
Permit required
Unincorporated land only. Idyllwild and Wine Country are capped. New certificates there go through a lottery.
Riverside County short-term rental rulesPalm Springs, CA
Capped
9,975 seasonal homes, 271 per 1,000 housing units.
Palm Springs short-term rental rulesLa Quinta, CA
Allowed by zone
6,852 seasonal homes, 277 per 1,000 housing units.
La Quinta short-term rental rulesPismo Beach, CA
Allowed by zone
1,574 seasonal homes, 256 per 1,000 housing units.
Pismo Beach short-term rental rulesFAQ
Palm Desert short-term rental questions
How much is a short-term rental permit in Palm Desert?
Can I run a short-term rental in an R1 zone in Palm Desert?
Does Airbnb collect Palm Desert taxes?
What is the fine for renting without a permit in Palm Desert?
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 Rentals, City of Palm Desert, read on October 1, 2026
- Palm Desert Good Neighbor Brochure, Short-Term Rentals, City of Palm Desert, 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 profit calculator
Nightly rate, occupancy, Airbnb fee, management, mortgage, taxes and depreciation. You get cash flow, cash-on-cash return and what is left after the IRS.
Airbnb house rules
Generate a complete PDF house rules document for your property: rules, schedule, amenities, emergency contacts.