Pismo Beach, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

The Pismo Beach Municipal Code prints two zoning codes under Title 17, and both carry the same ADU occupancy rule. In the 1983 Zoning Ordinance, § 17.117.080(A)(1)(a) opens with the heading Short-Term Rental Use Prohibited and says that in no case shall a short-term rental use of less than thirty (30) days be permitted in JADUs or ADUs. In the 1998 Zoning Code, § 17.38.155(H)(1)(a)(i) repeats the prohibition in nearly the same words.

The prohibition sits under an Occupancy heading that applies the standards to "every ADU and JADU in the city." That covers new construction ADUs, conversion ADUs and junior units alike. The 1983 text finishes the sentence with a semicolon: these units shall be occupied for terms longer than thirty (30) days. The 1998 text joins the same clause with "and." Either way, an owner of an ADU or JADU in the City of Pismo Beach has to lease it for a term longer than thirty (30) days.

Two neighboring rules sit in the same occupancy paragraph. ADUs and JADUs shall not be sold separately from the primary unit, with one exception for a qualified nonprofit corporation that meets California Government Code Section 65852.26. Owner residency requirements follow directly after, and they are covered on the owner occupancy page.

ADUs and JADUs are approved under § 17.117.050 by a zoning clearance or, in the Coastal Appeal Zone, a coastal development permit together with a building permit. A coastal permit decision is final unless appealed to the California Coastal Commission within ten (10) days of the Commission's receipt of the notice of final action.

Pismo Beach uses two adopted zoning codes. The city's Zoning and Land Use page states that properties inside the Coastal Zone are regulated by the 1983 Zoning Code, and properties outside the Coastal Zone are regulated by the 1998 Zoning Code.