Short-term rental (Airbnb) rules in Westlake Village, California
Westlake Village's code has no short-term rental permit or outright ban, but anyone renting a house or room to guests for 30 days or less must register with the City and collect a 10% transient occupancy tax. The zoning code treats any use it doesn't list as prohibited, and short-term rentals aren't listed, so confirm with the Planning Department before listing your home. ADUs and junior ADUs can't be rented for less than 30 days.
| Transient occupancy tax | 10% of rent [4] |
| Who counts as a transient | Stays of 30 consecutive days or less [5] |
| Registration | Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate from the City [6] |
| ADU / JADU minimum rental | 30 days [1] |
| SB 9 two-unit project minimum rental | 31 days [2] |
No short-term rental ordinance
The zoning chapters we reviewed (R-1 and RPD zones, general requirements, development standards, definitions, home occupations) contain no short-term rental permit, registration program or explicit ban for an ordinary house.
Tax and registration
The City's transient occupancy tax chapter applies well beyond hotels. For tax purposes, a "hotel" includes any structure or portion of one occupied by transients, including a "tourist home or house" or "rental unit" [7]. A transient is anyone staying 30 consecutive days or less [5]. Guests pay a 10% tax on the rent [4], and the operator must register with the City's Tax Administrator (the City Manager) and post a Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate [6].
Is it allowed under zoning?
This is the open question. Westlake Village's zoning code is permissive: a use that isn't specifically listed for a zone is assumed to be prohibited unless the Planning Commission finds it similar to a listed use [8]. Short-term rentals aren't listed for the R-1 or RPD zones. In the zoning code, "hotel" means a facility offering transient lodging to the general public with services such as restaurants [3], which is not a house. The code doesn't say whether the City treats renting a house to short-stay guests as part of the home's residential use, so ask the Planning Department.
Where the code does limit rentals
- ADUs and JADUs: the covenant each owner must record says the unit may not be rented for less than 30 days [1].
- SB 9 two-unit projects: a recorded covenant must prohibit renting those units for less than 31 days [2].
Your HOA's CC&Rs may also restrict rentals.
Next steps
- Ask the Westlake Village Planning Department (planning@wlv.org, 818-706-1613) whether renting your home for 30 days or less is allowed in your zone.
- If you go ahead, register with the City for a Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate and collect and remit the 10% transient occupancy tax.
- Check your HOA's CC&Rs for rental restrictions.
- If your property has an ADU, JADU or SB 9 unit, don't rent that unit for less than 30 days (31 days for SB 9 units).
Common questions
- Are short-term rentals allowed in Westlake Village, California?
- It's unclear. The code has no short-term rental permit or outright ban, but the zoning code treats unlisted uses as prohibited and short-term rentals aren't listed, so confirm with the Planning Department before listing your home.
- Do I have to pay transient occupancy tax on an Airbnb in Westlake Village, California?
- Yes. Anyone renting a house or room to guests for 30 days or less must register with the City for a Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate and collect a 10% transient occupancy tax.
- Can I rent my ADU on Airbnb in Westlake Village, California?
- No. ADUs and junior ADUs can't be rented for less than 30 days, and SB 9 two-unit project units can't be rented for less than 31 days.
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. 9.14.080(F)(2), Municipal Code Article 9 Ch. 9.14 Development Standards (9.14.040 accessory structures and equipment; 9.14.050 fences, walls and screening; 9.14.070-9.14.080 accessory dwelling units and JADUs; 9.14.090 two units/SB 9), p. 1
The ADU or JADU may not be rented for a period of less than thirty (30) days.
- Sec. 9.14.090(I), Municipal Code Article 9 Ch. 9.14 Development Standards (9.14.040 accessory structures and equipment; 9.14.050 fences, walls and screening; 9.14.070-9.14.080 accessory dwelling units and JADUs; 9.14.090 two units/SB 9), p. 1
The restrictive covenant shall prohibit rental for a period less than thirty-one (31) days, shall be in a form approved by the City Attorney, and shall be recorded with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder.
- Sec. 9.2 (Definitions), Hotel, Municipal Code Article 9 Ch. 9.2 Definitions, p. 1
"Hotel" means a facility offering transient lodging accommodations to the general public and providing additional services, such as restaurants and meeting rooms.
- Sec. 6.4.020, Municipal Code Article 6 Ch. 6.4 Transient Occupancy Tax, p. 1
For the privilege of occupancy in any hotel each transient is subject to and shall pay a tax in the amount of ten percent (10%) of the rent charged by the operator.
- Sec. 6.4.010 (Definitions), Municipal Code Article 6 Ch. 6.4 Transient Occupancy Tax, p. 1
"Transient" shall mean any person who exercises occupancy or is entitled to occupancy for a period of thirty (30) consecutive calendar days or less, counting portions of calendar days as full days.
- Sec. 6.4.050, Municipal Code Article 6 Ch. 6.4 Transient Occupancy Tax, p. 1
Within thirty (30) days after the effective date of this Chapter, or within thirty (30) days after commencing business, whichever is later, each operator of any hotel renting occupancy to transients shall register the hotel with the Tax Administrator and obtain a "Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate" to be at all times posted in a conspicuous place on the premises.
- Sec. 6.4.010 (Definitions), Municipal Code Article 6 Ch. 6.4 Transient Occupancy Tax, p. 1
"Hotel" shall mean any structure, or any portion of any structure, which is occupied or intended or designed for occupancy by transients for dwelling, lodging or sleeping purposes, and includes any hotel, inn, tourist home or house, motel, studio hotel, bachelor hotel, lodging house, rooming house, apartment house, rental unit, dormitory, public or private club, mobile home or house trailer at a fixed location, or other similar structure or portion thereof.
- Sec. 9.4.050, Municipal Code Article 9 Ch. 9.4 General Requirements (9.4.050 determination of permitted uses; zoning clearance), p. 1
Where a use is not specifically listed or is determined by the Planning Director to not be included in a general category of use in the sections defining uses permitted, it shall be assumed that the use is prohibited unless it is determined by the action of the Commission, following receipt of a recommendation from the Planning Director, and a public hearing, that the use is similar to and no more objectionable than the uses listed.