Short-term rental (Airbnb) rules in Saratoga, California
No. Saratoga's City Code bans renting any home, or any part of a home such as a room, for 30 consecutive days or less, and also bans advertising such a rental. Fines run up to $1,500 for a first violation, $3,000 for a second and $5,000 for each further violation within a year.
| Rentals of 30 days or less | Prohibited (whole home or any portion) [1] |
| Advertising a prohibited rental | Prohibited; each day of a listing is a separate offense [2] |
| Fine, first violation | Up to $1,500 [4] |
| Fine, second violation within 1 year | Up to $3,000 [5] |
| Fine, further violations within 1 year | Up to $5,000 each [6] |
| Platform reporting | Platforms must report STR addresses to the City on request [7] |
The rule
Saratoga does not allow short-term rentals. Article 15-42 says no one may rent a residential dwelling, or any portion of one, to another person for thirty consecutive days or less [1]. The ban covers non-cash deals too: home swaps, trades and other consideration in lieu of payment count the same as paid stays [1]. Hotels, motels and bed-and-breakfast inns are excluded from the definition of a residential dwelling. The City's Code Compliance page summarizes the rule the same way: renting a single-family home or rooms within it for 30 consecutive calendar days or less is prohibited [3].
Advertising and hosting platforms
It is also illegal for an owner, tenant or their agent to arrange, facilitate or advertise a prohibited rental, and each day a listing stays up is a separate offense [2]. Paying transient occupancy tax or a business license fee does not make a short-term rental legal. Since February 2026 the City has opted into the state Short-Term Rental Facilitator Act, so platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO must report the address of each short-term rental when the City asks [7].
Penalties
Violations are infractions. Fines are up to $1,500 for a first violation [4], up to $3,000 for a second violation of the same ordinance within a year [5], and up to $5,000 for each additional violation within a year of the first [6].
What is still allowed
Rentals longer than 30 consecutive days are outside this ban, so a standard monthly or annual lease of a home, room or legal accessory dwelling unit is not affected by Article 15-42. Complaints about short-term rentals are investigated case by case through the City's code enforcement officer.
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Next steps
- If you want to rent your home or a room, set the minimum stay at 31 days or more; shorter stays are prohibited citywide.
- Remove or adjust any existing Airbnb or VRBO listing offering stays of 30 days or less, since each day a listing is posted is a separate offense.
- For questions or to report a short-term rental, contact Saratoga Code Compliance at (408) 868-1230 or file a complaint form through the City's Short-Term Rentals web page.
Common questions
- Are short-term rentals legal in Saratoga, California?
- No. Saratoga's City Code bans renting any home, or any part of a home such as a room, for 30 consecutive days or less.
- What is the fine for an Airbnb in Saratoga, California?
- Fines run up to $1,500 for a first violation, $3,000 for a second and $5,000 for each further violation within a year.
- Can I advertise a short-term rental in Saratoga, California?
- No. Advertising a prohibited rental is also banned, and each day of a listing is a separate offense.
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
- Sec. 15-42.010(a), City Code Article 15-42 - Short-Term Rentals, p. 1
No person shall rent any residential dwelling, or any portion of a residential dwelling, to any other person for thirty consecutive days or less, whether in exchange for monetary consideration or any form of any non-monetary consideration, including trade, fee, swap or other consideration in lieu of payment.
- Sec. 15-42.010(b), City Code Article 15-42 - Short-Term Rentals, p. 1
Each rental arranged or facilitated and each day that an advertisement is posted, published, circulated, broadcast or maintained by such person in violation of this section is a separate offense.
- Short-Term Rentals (Code Compliance web page), Short-Term Rentals (Code Compliance page), p. 1
The City of Saratoga currently prohibits short-term rental of a single-family home or room(s) within the home for a period of 30 consecutive calendar days or less.
- Sec. 15-42.020(a)(1), City Code Article 15-42 - Short-Term Rentals, p. 1
A fine not exceeding one thousand five hundred dollars for a first violation.
- Sec. 15-42.020(a)(2), City Code Article 15-42 - Short-Term Rentals, p. 1
A fine not exceeding three thousand dollars for a second violation of the same ordinance within one year.
- Sec. 15-42.020(a)(3), City Code Article 15-42 - Short-Term Rentals, p. 1
A fine not exceeding five thousand dollars for each additional violation of the same ordinance within one year of the first violation.
- Sec. 15-42.010(d), City Code Article 15-42 - Short-Term Rentals, p. 1
Upon request by the City Manager or the Manager's designee each short-term rental facilitator shall report, in the form and manner prescribed in the request, the physical address, including nine-digit ZIP Code, of each short-term rental during the reporting period and shall provide additional information requested if the information provided is not sufficient to identify a specific short-term rental at the provided address.