San Diego, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

Long-term rental (30 days or more) of an ADU is permitted in San Diego without separate licensing under California Gov. Code § 65852.2 and SDMC § 141.0302. ADUs cannot be rented for periods shorter than 30 days unless the property qualifies under the city's Short-Term Residential Occupancy (STRO) ordinance, SDMC § 510.0101 et seq., which took effect May 1, 2023. The STRO program has four tiers: Tier 1 (≤20 days/year, no host requirement, no license cap), Tier 2 (whole-home with host present), Tier 3 (whole-home, host's primary residence, unlimited days, capped at 1% of dwelling units), and Tier 4 (Mission Beach overlay, separate cap). Because Tier 3 and Tier 4 require the unit to be the host's primary residence, most detached ADUs cannot qualify for those tiers. An ADU can be a Tier 1 STR (host's casual occasional rental). Junior ADUs (JADUs) are specifically restricted by SDMC § 141.0302(c)(2) to rental terms of 30 days or more — JADUs cannot be short-term rented in any tier. State law (Gov. Code § 65852.2(a)(7)) also bars short-term rentals of ADUs in some contexts.