Short-Term Rentals in Inglewood, CA

If you live in Inglewood or are thinking about moving there, short-term rentals are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Inglewood has 12 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of short-term rentals, and some of them might surprise you.

Occupancy Limits

Inglewood caps every short-term rental at four people per room, no more than two of them adult guests, under Municipal Code § 8-139(8). Hosts must post the unit's maximum overnight occupant count on the inside of the front door alongside parking limits and a 24/7 contact number, per § 8-141(13).

Key details: Per-room cap: 4 persons per room, max 2 adult guests. Bedroom definition: At least 70 sq ft, door-enclosed, own bathroom access. Posting requirement: Max occupant count posted inside unit's main entry door. Guest parking limit: One vehicle per booking under § 8-141(10). Set at: City's initial inspection before permit issuance.

Exceeding the posted occupancy limit is a violation of Article 11 subject to permit denial, suspension or revocation under § 8-142(3)(b) for 'a violation of any provision under this Article,' and is separately an infraction under § 8-147(1), punishable per Government Code § 36900 unless prosecuted as a misdemeanor. Hosts also risk losing their permit if renewal inspections under § 8-137 find the unit's actual occupancy or parking capacity no longer matches what was posted at initial inspection.

Night Caps

Renting out an entire Inglewood home while the host is away is capped at 90 nights per calendar year, in blocks of 30 consecutive days or less, under Municipal Code Section 8-139(4). Hosted rentals, where the host stays on site, have no such cap.

Key details: Unhosted annual cap: 90 nights per calendar year. Booking block length: 30 consecutive days or less. Bookings per stay: One booking per dwelling per stay. Records retention: 3 years of stay/payment records. Vacation rental cap: Same 90-day limit, § 8-140(5).

Exceeding the 90-night unhosted cap or falsifying stay records is grounds for permit denial, suspension or revocation under Section 8-142(3)(a)-(b), effective 15 calendar days after the City mails notice of intent to revoke. The host can appeal to the Permits and Licenses Committee within 15 calendar days for a non-refundable fee set in the Master Fee Schedule; the Committee's decision is final.

Inglewood's vacation rental category lets a host rent a second, vacant unit near their primary residence, but only after 10 years of city residency, 5 years owning the primary home, and 365 days owning the rental unit itself, under Municipal Code Section 8-140.

Key details: Prior city residency: 10 consecutive years. Ownership of primary home: 5 consecutive years. Ownership of rental unit: 365 consecutive days. Distance from primary residence: Within 1,000 feet. Annual rental limit: 90 days, in 30-day blocks.

Renting an ineligible property type, exceeding the ninety-day cap, or operating without Housing Protection Department registration where required voids the vacation rental's eligibility and is grounds for permit denial, suspension or revocation under Section 8-142(3). A revoked permit bars reapplication at that address for 12 months absent a change of ownership.

This is one of the stricter rules in Inglewood's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Host Platform Liability

Inglewood makes short-term rental hosting platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo legally responsible for collecting and remitting transient occupancy tax as an agent of the host, removing unpermitted listings within five days of City notice, and refusing to profit from ancillary services tied to an unregistered rental. Platforms must also disclose monthly listing data to the City.

Key details: TOT collection duty: platform is host's tax agent. Listing disclosure: monthly, electronic, to the City. Removal deadline: 5 calendar days after notice. Fee ban: no ancillary fees on unregistered listings. Contact requirement: within 45 days of ordinance.

A platform that fails to remove a noticed unpermitted listing within five days, or that collects fees for ancillary services on an unregistered rental, violates its Section 8-143 obligations and is subject to the same infraction or misdemeanor exposure and administrative fines and penalties under Chapter 11, Article 11.4 that apply to hosts, per Section 8-147(1) and (4). The City can also issue an administrative subpoena to compel listing records under Section 8-147(6).

Short-Term Rental Permits

Anyone hosting a short-term rental in Inglewood, defined as a stay of thirty days or less, must first obtain a City short-term rental permit under Municipal Code § 8-138. Renting, offering to rent, or advertising a unit without a valid permit is unlawful, and hosts must be natural-person owner-occupants who lived in the unit for the prior year.

Key details: Permit required: Before renting, offering, or advertising any short-term stay. Host residency: Must occupy unit as primary residence 365 days prior. Liability insurance: Minimum $500,000 coverage required under § 8-141(4). Neighbor notice period: Up to 60-day public comment hold on new applications. Vacation rental cap: 90 nights per year, 30-day blocks maximum.

Operating without a permit is unlawful under § 8-138, and § 8-147 makes any violation of the Article an infraction, punishable under Government Code § 36900, unless elevated to a misdemeanor. Section 8-142(3) lets the City deny, suspend or revoke a permit for false statements, code violations on the premises, unpaid fees or transient occupancy taxes, or a prior revocation within twelve months; violators must reimburse the City's investigative costs and remit illegally collected rental revenue under § 8-147(3).

Compared to other cities, Inglewood takes a harder line on short-term rental permits. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Primary-Residence-Only Rule

Inglewood only issues a short-term rental permit to an owner who has lived at the property as their primary residence for the prior 365 consecutive days, verified with two forms of documentation, under Municipal Code Section 8-139(10) and the Section 8-137 definition of "primary residence."

Key details: Required residency: 365 consecutive days. Verification method: 2 of: DL, vehicle reg, voter reg, tax docs, utility bill. Renters eligible?: No, must be the owner. Business entities eligible?: No, natural persons/family trusts only. Re-checked at renewal: Yes, § 8-141(25).

Submitting a false residency showing on an initial or renewal application is a material misrepresentation and grounds for permit denial, suspension or revocation under Section 8-142(3)(a). Revocation is effective 15 calendar days after mailed notice, appealable to the Permits and Licenses Committee within 15 calendar days for a non-refundable fee.

Insurance Requirements

Inglewood requires every short-term rental host to carry at least $500,000 in liability insurance covering the rental activity, or to book exclusively through a hosting platform providing equal or greater coverage. The rule is one of the standing conditions attached to every short-term rental permit issued under Chapter 8, Article 11 of the Inglewood Municipal Code.

Key details: Minimum liability coverage: $500,000. Alternate compliance: platform-provided equal/greater coverage. Governing section: § 8-141(4). Permit term: 1 year, renewable annually. Appeal window: 15 calendar days of notice.

Operating without the required insurance is a violation of Article 11 and grounds for permit denial, suspension, or revocation under Section 8-142(3)(b), effective fifteen days after the City mails notice. Hosts may appeal to the Permits and Licenses Committee by filing a non-refundable fee within fifteen calendar days of the mailed notice; a decision follows within ten days of the hearing under Section 8-142(1). Separately, violating the Article is an infraction unless charged as a misdemeanor under Article 1-18.3, and may draw administrative fines under Chapter 11, Article 11.4.

Noise Rules

Inglewood bans "party house" rentals outright and requires every short-term rental host to comply with the City's noise regulations, abate nuisance activity within one hour, and warn guests about quiet hours before check-in, under Municipal Code Sections 8-139(1) and 8-141(6)-(7), (11).

Key details: Party house rentals: Banned outright, § 8-139(1). Nuisance abatement window: 1 hour. Local contact response time: 60 minutes, 24/7. Gathering radius counted: Within 50 feet of property line. Governing noise chapter: IMC Chapter 5, Article 2.

A loud or unruly gathering or party house use is a standalone permit violation under Section 8-139(1), and any Article 11 violation is grounds for denial, suspension or revocation of the permit under Section 8-142(3)(b). Failing to abate a nuisance within one hour, or failing to brief guests on quiet hours before occupancy, is a breach of the host's Section 8-141 duties that exposes the same permit to revocation.

Compared to other cities, Inglewood takes a harder line on noise rules. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Taxes & Fees

Every Inglewood short-term rental host must collect and remit the City's transient occupancy tax under Chapter 9, Article 8, plus a non-refundable permit application and renewal fee set in the Master Fee Schedule, under Municipal Code Section 8-139(14) and Section 8-141(26).

Key details: TOT authority: Chapter 9, Article 8, IMC. Who remits: Host, or host + platform if platform collects payment. Application fee: Non-refundable, per Master Fee Schedule. Renewal fee: Also non-refundable, per Master Fee Schedule. Delinquency consequence: Grounds for permit revocation.

Failure to collect or remit TOT, or delinquency on the permit application or renewal fee, is grounds for permit denial, suspension or revocation under Section 8-142(3)(e). Revocation takes effect 15 calendar days after the City mails notice; the host may appeal to the Permits and Licenses Committee within 15 calendar days for a non-refundable filing fee.

Host Presence Rule

Inglewood lets a short-term rental host rent a room for unlimited nights per year only if the host stays in the unit during the guest's stay. Move out during the booking and the rental becomes an unhosted rental, capped at 90 nights a year under a separate permit rule.

Key details: Hosted rental night limit: Unlimited nights per year. Booking length: 30 consecutive days or less. Definition: Host remains in unit during stay. Permit required: Yes, under § 8-138. Occupancy cap: 2 adult guests per room, max 4 persons.

Operating an unhosted stay under the unlimited-night hosted exemption is a misrepresentation on the permit application and grounds for denial, suspension or revocation under Section 8-142(3)(a)-(b). The City Manager or designee can revoke a permit with 15 calendar days' notice; the host may appeal to the Permits and Licenses Committee for a non-refundable fee within 15 calendar days of the notice.

Short-Term Rental Parking Rules

Inglewood STR guests must comply with all local parking regulations. Hosts are expected to inform guests about street parking restrictions, permit requirements, and driveway usage to minimize neighborhood impact.

Key details: Guest Parking: Must comply with all local parking rules. Host Responsibility: Inform guests of restrictions. Off-Street: Preferred where available. Complaints: Local contact must address promptly.

Vehicles parked in violation may be cited or towed. Persistent parking issues at an STR property may contribute to enforcement action against the operator's permit.

Repeat Violator Strikes

A property whose Inglewood short-term rental permit was revoked in the previous twelve months cannot get a new permit, unless the property changed hands and the new owner proves the sale occurred during that period. The twelve-month lookback is one of five grounds for denying, suspending, or revoking a permit under Article 11 of Chapter 8.

Key details: Lookback period: 12 months from prior revocation. Governing section: § 8-142(3)(d). Exception: bona fide change of property ownership. Effective date of denial: 15 days after mailed notice. Appeal body: Permits and Licenses Committee.

A property barred by the twelve-month rule that operates anyway is unlawful vacation or short-term rental activity under Section 8-144, punishable as an infraction unless elevated to a misdemeanor under Article 1-18.3, plus administrative fines and penalties under Chapter 11, Article 11.4. The City may also seek injunctive relief, and a court can order reimbursement of investigative costs and disgorgement of illegally obtained rental revenue under Section 8-147(3).

Compared to other cities, Inglewood takes a harder line on repeat violator strikes. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

The Bottom Line

Inglewood is tougher than many cities when it comes to short-term rentals. Out of the 12 rules covered here, 4 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Inglewood, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

Keep in mind that Inglewood can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.