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Short-Term Rentals (Airbnb / VRBO) in California: rules in 9 towns compared
Can I rent my home on Airbnb or VRBO? Here's how each town answers it. Click a town for the details and the exact ordinance text.
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This page is for California homeowners thinking about renting on Airbnb or VRBO. California has no statewide short-term rental license or registry: your city decides whether you can rent short term and sets permits, caps, primary-residence rules and minimum stays. Cities may levy a transient occupancy tax on stays of 30 days or less (Rev. & Tax. Code §7280). Since January 1, 2026, under SB 346, a city can require platforms to report the address of each short-term rental, and where a city opts in, listings must show the local license number. State law also requires by-right ADUs, junior ADUs and SB 9 units to be rented for longer than 30 days. In the coastal zone, the Coastal Commission has said short-term rental rules must go through the city's Local Coastal Program or a coastal development permit, and bans adopted any other way are likely not enforceable there.
Four of the 9 cities we cover for this topic, Hillsborough, Los Altos, Saratoga and Tiburon, ban short-term rentals outright, and Manhattan Beach bans them outside its coastal zone. Del Mar, Los Gatos, Pasadena and Piedmont allow them only in your primary residence with a city permit or license, and they cap the nights: Piedmont allows 60 days a year, Pasadena 90 days of un-hosted stays, and Los Gatos 30 un-hosted nights. Del Mar caps permits at 129 citywide and new applicants can only join a waitlist. Pick your city below for the details and the municipal code text.
Town-by-town comparison
| Town | Verdict | Short answer |
|---|---|---|
| Los Altos | Not allowed | No. Los Altos prohibits short-term rentals, meaning paid stays of fewer than 30 consecutive days, in every zoning district, and no permit is available. You can rent your home or ADU for 30 days or longer. |
| Saratoga | Not allowed | 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. |
| Los Gatos | Allowed with a permit | Yes, but only at your primary residence and with an annual Town short-term rental license plus a business license. Hosted rentals (you live there during the stay) are capped at 180 nights a year and un-hosted rentals at 30 nights a year, with a limit of 2 overnight guests per bedroom plus 1. |
| Tiburon | Not allowed | No. Tiburon bans vacation rentals in all zones: no one may operate, facilitate or advertise one, and the old seasonal rental permits expired on December 31, 2015. Renting a room to one paying guest is allowed only for stays of at least 31 consecutive days, and ADUs and junior ADUs can't be rented for less than 30 days. |
| Piedmont | Allowed with a permit | Yes, but only in a single-family home that is your primary residence (as owner or long-term tenant), and only with an annual short-term rental permit from the city. Stays must be at least 2 nights, total rentals can't exceed 60 days a year, and ADUs can't be used as short-term rentals. |
| Manhattan Beach | Depends on your zone | Outside the Coastal Zone, renting a home or room in a Manhattan Beach residential zone for less than 30 consecutive days is prohibited, and so is advertising it. The city's short-term rental ban expressly excludes properties in the Coastal Zone, where rules come from the city's Local Coastal Program, so check with the city if your home is near the beach. |
| Pasadena | Restricted | Only in your primary residence (where you live at least 9 months a year), and only with an annual city short-term rental permit. Whole-home stays while you're away are capped at 90 days a year, and vacation rentals of homes you don't live in are banned. |
| Del Mar | Restricted | Only with a city STR permit, and new permits are on hold. Del Mar caps short-term rentals (30 days or less) at 129 citywide, and the 150 registered existing STRs already exceed that cap, so new owners can only join a waitlist. A new STR must be in your primary residence, with a 3-night minimum stay. |
| Hillsborough | Not allowed | No. Hillsborough treats rentals of fewer than 30 days as prohibited commercial "transitory lodging" in residential areas, and advertising them is also banned. You can rent your home, or a single room in the home you live in, for 30 days or longer. |
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.
Common questions about short-term rentals in California
- Is Airbnb legal in California?
- It depends on your city. There's no statewide short-term rental ban or license; cities decide. Among the cities we cover, Hillsborough, Los Altos, Saratoga and Tiburon ban rentals under 30 days, while Del Mar, Los Gatos, Pasadena and Piedmont allow them in your primary residence with a permit and annual limits.
- What is considered a short-term rental in California?
- Generally a paid stay of 30 days or less. State law lets cities tax stays of 30 days or less, and most city codes define a short-term rental as a stay of under 30 consecutive days, though the exact cutoff varies slightly by city.
- Do I need a short-term rental permit in California?
- It depends on your city. There's no state license, but cities that allow short-term rentals usually require a local permit or license and a transient occupancy tax registration. Since January 1, 2026, cities can opt in to require platforms like Airbnb and VRBO to report rental addresses and to show the local license number on listings.
- What is California's Short-Term Rental Facilitator Act of 2025?
- That's SB 346, in effect since January 1, 2026. It lets a city or county adopt an ordinance requiring platforms like Airbnb and VRBO to report the address of each short-term rental. Where a city has opted in, listings must also show the local license number and transient occupancy tax certificate.
- Can I rent my ADU as a short-term rental in California?
- Usually not. State law requires by-right ADUs and junior ADUs to be rented for longer than 30 days, and lets cities require 30-day minimums for other ADUs. Del Mar, Hillsborough, Los Altos, Pasadena, Piedmont and Tiburon all bar short-term rental of ADUs.
- Can a coastal city in California ban short-term rentals?
- Not easily. The Coastal Commission has said short-term rental rules in the coastal zone must be adopted through the city's Local Coastal Program or a coastal development permit, and that bans adopted any other way are likely not enforceable there. It has supported reasonable limits such as caps and occupancy limits. Manhattan Beach's ban expressly excludes its coastal zone.
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