Short-term rental (Airbnb) rules in San Clemente, California
Only if your lot is in one of San Clemente's mapped STLU Allowed Areas (confirm with the Planning Division that your zone allows them too). Rentals of 29 days or less need an STLU zoning permit, are limited to one rental contract at a time and to 2 people per bedroom plus 2 (max 10), and short-term rentals are capped at 20% of homes in each allowed area.
| What counts as short-term | 29 or fewer consecutive days [1] |
| Where allowed | Only lots on the STLU Allowed Areas map [2] |
| Rentals per home | 1 at a time [3] |
| Max occupancy | 2 per bedroom + 2, no more than 10 [4] |
| Cap per allowed area | 20% of housing units [5] |
| Emergency contact response | Within 30 minutes, 24 hours a day [6] |
| Neighbor notice radius | 300 feet [7] |
| ADUs and JADUs | No rentals of 30 days or less [8] |
What counts
San Clemente treats lodging of 29 or fewer consecutive days as "short term" [1]. A home rented this way is a short-term lodging unit (STLU), and an STLU is limited to a single rental contract. Short-term rentals are covered by Municipal Code §17.28.292 and the Transient Occupancy Tax chapter (Ch. 3.24).
Where they're allowed
In residential zones, STLUs are allowed only on lots designated on the City's adopted "Short-Term Lodging Units (STLU) Allowed Areas" map [2]. The STLU row of the residential use table (Table 17.32.030) is garbled in the online code: it shows "O" (alternative review) with this map footnote only under the RH zone, a dash under RL, and blank cells under RVL, RML and RM. Blank cells normally mean a use is prohibited, so ask the Planning Division whether STLUs are possible in your zone, not just whether your lot is on the map. The number of STLUs in each allowed area is capped at 20% of its housing units [5]. An STLU can't operate in a unit with an affordable-housing restriction.
A short-term apartment rental (STAR) is a multi-unit building where the owner lives in one unit and rents others short term. A STAR must be at least 300 ft from any other STAR or STLU, and the owner or a trained manager must sleep on site every rented night.
Operating rules
- Only one STLU per dwelling unit [3].
- Occupancy is capped at two people per legal bedroom plus two, and never more than 10 [4]. Homes with five or more bedrooms can ask the Community Development Director for a waiver.
- You must carry vacation rental insurance, renewed yearly, and give a 24-hour contact who responds within 30 minutes [6].
- After the permit is issued, you must notify neighbors within 300 ft and the City of contact information and the maximum number of renters [7].
- Overnight lodging only: no weddings, parties or events.
- STLUs with three or more bedrooms need two 90-gallon trash and two 90-gallon recycling containers.
ADUs
Accessory dwelling units and junior ADUs can't be rented for 30 days or less [8].
Coastal zone
Much of San Clemente is in the coastal zone. The Coastal Commission's views on STR limits there may affect how these rules apply (see state rules). We couldn't download the City's STLU webpage and allowed-areas map, so confirm whether your lot is eligible.
See how San Clemente compares with 8+ other California towns on short-term rentals (airbnb / vrbo) →
Next steps
- Check the City's STLU Allowed Areas map (Appendix C of Title 17) to see whether your lot is eligible, and whether the area's 20% cap has room.
- Apply to Community Development for an STLU zoning permit, with proof of vacation rental insurance and a 24-hour emergency contact.
- Register for the City's transient occupancy tax under Chapter 3.24.
- After approval, send the required notice to neighbors within 300 ft and post the permit and house rules in the unit.
Common questions
- Are short-term rentals allowed in San Clemente, California?
- Only in some areas. Rentals of 29 days or less are allowed only on lots in the City's mapped STLU Allowed Areas, and the zone table is unclear, so confirm with the Planning Division that your zone allows them too. Each allowed area is capped at 20% of its housing units.
- Do I need a permit for an Airbnb in San Clemente, California?
- Yes. Rentals of 29 days or less need an STLU zoning permit, plus vacation rental insurance, a 24-hour contact who responds within 30 minutes, and transient occupancy tax registration. After approval, you must notify neighbors within 300 ft.
- What is the occupancy limit for a short-term rental in San Clemente, California?
- Occupancy is capped at two people per legal bedroom plus two, and never more than 10. Only one rental contract is allowed at a time, and STLUs are for overnight lodging only, with no weddings, parties or events.
- Can I rent my ADU short term in San Clemente, California?
- No. Accessory dwelling units and junior ADUs can't be rented for 30 days or less.
California state rules for short-term rentals
California has no statewide short-term rental license or registry. Your city or county decides whether and how you can rent on Airbnb or VRBO, including permits, caps, primary-residence rules and minimum stays.
Taxes: cities and counties may levy a transient occupancy tax (TOT) on stays of 30 days or less (Rev. & Tax. Code §7280). Rates and registration are local, and the county rate applies only in unincorporated areas.
New platform reporting law: since January 1, 2026, a city or county can adopt an ordinance requiring platforms like Airbnb and VRBO to report the address of each short-term rental (Gov. Code §50990 et seq., SB 346). Where a city has opted in, listings must also show the local license number and TOT certificate.
ADUs and SB 9 units: state law lets cities require that ADUs be rented for 30 days or longer. It requires that for by-right ADUs, junior ADUs and units built under SB 9 lot splits (see ADUs).
Coastal zone: in a December 2016 letter, the Coastal Commission said:
- STR rules in the coastal zone must be adopted through the city's Local Coastal Program or a coastal development permit, and bans adopted any other way are likely not enforceable there.
- The Commission has not historically supported blanket STR bans, finding they unduly limit public access to the coast.
- It has supported reasonable limits, such as caps on the number of rentals, occupancy limits, and limits on which housing types can be rented.
What the ordinance says
- §17.88.030 Definitions ("Short term"), Municipal Code Title 17 Ch. 17.88 Definitions
"Short term" means for a period of twenty-nine (29) or fewer consecutive calendar days
- Table 17.32.030, footnote 20, Municipal Code Title 17 Ch. 17.32 Residential Zones and Standards
20 STLUs are only permitted on lots that are designated for STLUs on the City's current adopted "Short-Term Lodging Units (STLU) Allowed Areas" map in Appendix C of this title.
- §17.28.292(C)(2) Rentals Per Unit, Municipal Code Title 17 Ch. 17.28 Special Uses (17.28.060 animals, large species; 17.28.160 home occupations; 17.28.270 accessory dwelling units; 17.28.292 short term lodging units)
The maximum number of STLUs allowed within any single dwelling unit is one.
- §17.28.292(C)(11) Occupancy Limit, Municipal Code Title 17 Ch. 17.28 Special Uses (17.28.060 animals, large species; 17.28.160 home occupations; 17.28.270 accessory dwelling units; 17.28.292 short term lodging units)
The maximum number of renters and guests in an STLU may not exceed two persons per legal bedroom plus two persons, but in no event may the maximum occupancy of any STLU exceed 10 or the maximum allowed under
- §17.28.292(E)(2), Municipal Code Title 17 Ch. 17.28 Special Uses (17.28.060 animals, large species; 17.28.160 home occupations; 17.28.270 accessory dwelling units; 17.28.292 short term lodging units)
The number of STLUs excluding STARs, in any STLU Allowed Area, as reflected in the STLU Allowed Areas maps in Appendix C of this Title, shall be limited to a maximum of 20 percent of the total housing units within each STLU Allowed Area, as reflected in the STLU Allowed Areas maps in Appendix C of this Title.
- §17.28.292(C)(5) Responsive Contact, Municipal Code Title 17 Ch. 17.28 Special Uses (17.28.060 animals, large species; 17.28.160 home occupations; 17.28.270 accessory dwelling units; 17.28.292 short term lodging units)
The STLU owner shall provide a 24-hour emergency contact that will respond, on-site if requested, within 30 minutes to complaints about the condition, operation or conduct of STLU renters or their guests.
- §17.28.292(C)(9) Notice, Municipal Code Title 17 Ch. 17.28 Special Uses (17.28.060 animals, large species; 17.28.160 home occupations; 17.28.270 accessory dwelling units; 17.28.292 short term lodging units)
Each STLU owner shall, upon issuance of any STLU zoning permit or upon any approved change to an existing STLU zoning permit, provide written notice to the Community Development Director and to all neighboring property owners (within a radius of 300 feet of the STLU property) the following information:
- §17.28.270(G)(2), Municipal Code Title 17 Ch. 17.28 Special Uses (17.28.060 animals, large species; 17.28.160 home occupations; 17.28.270 accessory dwelling units; 17.28.292 short term lodging units)
The accessory dwelling unit and/or junior accessory dwelling unit shall not be rented for periods of 30 days or less.