Where short-term rentals are allowed in Pismo Beach, CA

What Pismo Beach asks of you

• The municipal code calls the document a vacation rental license. Renting, offering or advertising a vacation rental without one is barred.^[6]

• The city's own page calls that same document a Vacation Rental Permit, sent through Docusign for signature.^[4]

• The code defines a vacation rental as a structure of four or fewer separate transient rental units.^[6]

• The code holds short-term rental and homestay licenses at twenty-eight. No application is accepted after December 5, 2023 for a property without an existing license.^[7]

• The City Council's stated intention is to reduce those twenty-eight licenses to zero through attrition over time.^[7]

• Short-term rental licenses expire on September 30 of each year, regardless of the date of issuance.^[7]

• A Short-Term Rental renewal costs $781.24, plus a $121.46 noticing fee. With the 5% digital archiving fee of $45.14, the total is $947.84.^[4]

• A vacation rental license does not run with the land. It expires as of the date of sale.^[6]

• The responsible party resides within twenty-five miles of the vacation rental, or keeps a physical business address there. A post office box does not comply.^[6]

• That party can be reached by telephone at any hour. A complaint gets a response within three hours, in person or by return telephone call.^[6]

• Each vacation rental has a minimum of two parking spaces available on-site at all times.^[6]

• Applicants show proof of written notification to all property owners and residents within 300 feet of the property.^[6]

• Any advertising of the vacation rental shall include the vacation rental license number provided by the city.^[6]

• A notice posted inside the unit names the responsible party. It also states the maximum overnight occupants, the vehicles allowed on-site and the garbage collection days.^[6]

• A licensed short-term rental must be the property owner's primary residence. It is limited to 182 rental days per year without the owner on site.^[8]

• Homestays, with the owner concurrently on site, have no limit on rental days per year.^[8]

• Overnight occupancy of a short-term rental or homestay is limited to two people per bedroom, plus two additional people.^[8]

• After 10:00 p.m., Chapter 17.113 requires any noise to be contained within the short-term rental. Before 7:00 a.m., the same containment applies.^[8]

• For vacation rentals, Article I of Chapter 5.22 sets a fine not to exceed $100 for a first violation in twelve months. The second is capped at $250, the third at $500.^[6]

• For short-term rentals and homestays, Article II sets a minimum of $1,500 for an initial violation. A second within one year costs $3,000, each subsequent one $5,000.^[7]

• The city's FAQ answers a question on unlicensed vacation rentals with that same three-step scale, starting at $1,500.^[5]

• Chapter 17.113 still states a minimum initial fine of $750. Each subsequent violation there is a minimum of $1,000.^[8]

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]