Short-Term Rentals in Long Beach, CA

If you live in Long Beach 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. Long Beach has 12 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of short-term rentals, and some of them might surprise you.

Host Presence Rule

Long Beach Municipal Code § 5.77.020(G) and (V) draw the line the whole STR chapter turns on: a 'hosted stay' requires the host to remain on-site throughout the guest's stay except during daytime/work hours, while an 'un-hosted stay' means the host resides off-site entirely.

Key details: Hosted stay defined by: § 5.77.020(G): host on-site throughout stay. Un-hosted stay defined by: § 5.77.020(V): host resides off-site. Daytime/work exception: Host may be absent during normal work hours. Consequence of un-hosted status: Subject to 90-day annual cap, § 5.77.050(C).

Operating un-hosted beyond the permitted threshold is enforced under Section 5.77.090(A)(9) and (B): the City issues an immediate citation without a cure period once a violation is verified, at the flat $1,000 fine set by Section 5.77.090(G), and repeated exceedances count toward the three-citation threshold that can trigger non-renewal or revocation under 5.77.090(H).

Taxes & Fees

Every Long Beach short-term rental guest pays a combined 13% transient occupancy tax, 6% under § 3.64.030 plus a separate 7% general purpose tax under § 3.64.035, and § 5.77.060(E) makes the operator, the hosting platform, or both jointly responsible for collecting and remitting it depending on who takes payment.

Key details: Base TOT rate: 6% (LBMC § 3.64.030). General purpose TOT add-on: 7% (LBMC § 3.64.035). Combined guest tax rate: 13% of rent. STR collection duty: Operator, or operator + platform jointly. Registration fees: Set by City Council resolution, § 5.77.100.

Failure to collect or remit TOT triggers a notice of tax determination and, if unresolved, a delinquency penalty under § 3.64.120 plus interest, with the business license section empowered to pursue collection and lien enforcement under § 3.64.130. Under Chapter 5.77's enforcement scheme, an operator or platform found liable for unpaid TOT in a City enforcement action must remit all unpaid tax and illegally obtained rental revenue and reimburse the City's investigative costs (§ 5.77.090(J)).

Host Platform Liability

Long Beach makes hosting platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo directly liable for what they publish: they must block bookings for any listing lacking a valid City registration number, report registration numbers, host names, addresses and monthly booking data, and remove flagged listings on notice, or the platform itself is operating unlawfully.

Key details: Governing section: LBMC § 5.77.070. Contact designation deadline: 45 days from ordinance effective date. Reporting frequency: Monthly, City-specified format. Fine per violation: $1,000 (§ 5.77.090(G)). Appeal body: Board of Examiners Appeals and Condemnation.

Violations of Chapter 5.77, including hosting platform noncompliance, draw a flat $1,000 fine per violation under § 5.77.090(G), with multiple citations possible for a single event that breaches several provisions. Platforms found liable in a civil, criminal or administrative action must reimburse the City's investigative and enforcement costs and remit any illegally obtained rental revenue (§ 5.77.090(J)-(K)); decisions may be appealed to the Board of Examiners Appeals and Condemnation.

Compared to other cities, Long Beach takes a harder line on host platform liability. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Stays of 31 or more consecutive nights fall outside Long Beach STR rules and statewide TOT, operating instead as residential tenancies subject to landlord-tenant law including AB 1482 once the tenant accrues sufficient occupancy.

Key details: STR threshold: Under 31 nights. Long stay: 31+ nights = tenancy. AB 1482: After 12 months. TOT: Not collected.

Treating a long-term tenant as a transient guest, attempting summary lockouts, or skipping AB 1482 disclosures may trigger wrongful eviction claims, statutory damages, and Long Beach Tenant Helpline complaints.

Repeat Violator Strikes

Three citations against a Long Beach short-term rental within an 18-month period puts the registration on the line: the Director can revoke, suspend, disallow it, or impose new conditions, and a revoked or disallowed unit is barred from re-registering for at least 12 months regardless of who operates it.

Key details: Governing section: LBMC § 5.77.090(H). Strike threshold: 3 citations in 18 months. Owner response window: 14 calendar days after notice. Re-registration bar: Minimum 12 months if revoked/disallowed. Violence citations: Count double toward the 3-strike total.

Each qualifying citation carries a $1,000 fine (§ 5.77.090(G)). Citations for on-property or guest violence count double toward the three-strike total (§ 5.77.090(C)). A revoked or disallowed registration bars any STR use of that parcel for 12 months; the owner may appeal the Director's revocation, suspension or disallowance decision to the Board of Examiners Appeals and Condemnation, whose ruling is final subject to judicial review.

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

Primary-Residence-Only Rule

Long Beach Municipal Code § 5.77.020(K) defines a primary residence as the home where a person lives at least 275 days a year, proven with two forms of documentation, and § 5.77.030(B)(2) caps every operator at one primary-residence STR plus one non-primary STR citywide.

Key details: Residency threshold: 275 days per calendar year. Proof required: At least 2 of 5 listed documents. Per-operator cap: 1 primary STR + 1 non-primary STR citywide. Multi-unit parcels: Whole parcel counts as primary residence. Enforcing office: Director of Community Development.

Registering a property as a primary residence STR without meeting the 275-day residency and documentation test is a false-statement violation under Section 5.77.090(A)(4), which treats providing false or misleading information on a registration application as a chargeable offense. Chapter 5.77 violations carry a flat $1,000 fine per Section 5.77.090(G), and three citations within an eighteen-month window can trigger non-renewal of the registration under 5.77.090(H).

Short-Term Rental Permits

Long Beach Municipal Code § 5.77.040 makes an STR registration valid for one year, non-transferable, and renewable only if the operator pays the fee, submits a year of records, and has not racked up three or more citations in any eighteen-month period.

Key details: Registration term: 1 year, non-transferable. Renewal disqualifier: 3+ citations in any 18 months. Records required for renewal: 1 year of TOT records under § 3.64.080. Renewal application deadline: 45 days after City review, or lapses. Non-primary cap filing deadline: 30 days before expiration once cap is reached.

Letting a registration lapse and continuing to operate reverts the property to unregistered status, triggering the advertising/booking-without-registration violations in Section 5.77.090(A)(5)-(7), each punishable by the flat $1,000 per-violation fine set in Section 5.77.090(G) with an immediate citation under 5.77.090(B).

Insurance Requirements

Long Beach Municipal Code § 5.77.060(D) requires every STR operator to maintain proof of liability insurance covering the short-term rental use in an aggregate amount of not less than one million dollars, or to book exclusively through a platform that provides equal or greater coverage.

Key details: Minimum liability coverage: $1,000,000 aggregate. Platform alternative: Allowed if platform coverage equals or exceeds $1M. Governing section: § 5.77.060(D). Proof required at: Registration and renewal review.

Failing to maintain the required liability insurance is enforceable as a violation of an STR operator requirement under Section 5.77.090(F), which lists violations of 'state, county, or City health, building, or fire regulations' and general STR requirements as citable conduct, carrying the flat $1,000 fine set in Section 5.77.090(G); the City may also refuse to renew a registration under Section 5.77.040 if proof of coverage cannot be produced.

Noise Rules

Long Beach Municipal Code § 5.77.050(Q) makes it unlawful for any STR host, operator, occupant, or guest to make loud, unnecessary or unusual noise that disturbs a neighborhood's peace or violates the citywide noise chapter, layered on top of the Chapter 9.31 loud-party ordinance.

Key details: Noise prohibition: § 5.77.050(Q): cross-references Chapter 8.80. Pool/spa/hot tub curfew: 10:00 p.m.–7:00 a.m., § 5.77.050(G). Loud-party cross-reference: Chapter 9.31 also applies, § 5.77.050(H). Emergency contact response time: 1 hour, 24/7, § 5.77.030(B)(5). Fine per violation: $1,000, § 5.77.090(G).

A noise violation under 5.77.050(Q) is chargeable under Section 5.77.090(A)(3) as a violation of STR requirements and carries the flat $1,000 fine set in Section 5.77.090(G), issued as an immediate citation with no cure period per 5.77.090(B); three citations within eighteen months, including noise citations, count toward the threshold for non-renewal or revocation of the STR registration under 5.77.090(H).

Night Caps

Long Beach Municipal Code § 5.77.050(C) limits un-hosted stays in a primary residence short-term rental to a maximum of ninety days per annual registration term, and subsection (D) lets the City prohibit un-hosted stays entirely in specific census tract block groups.

Key details: Annual un-hosted cap: 90 days per registration term. Applies to: Primary residence STRs only. Resets: Annually with registration renewal. Block-group prohibition: Petition process, § 5.77.080, min. 3-year term. Fine for exceeding cap: $1,000 per violation.

Exceeding the ninety-day annual limit on un-hosted stays is a listed violation under Section 5.77.090(A)(9), triggering an immediate citation with no cure period per 5.77.090(B) and a flat $1,000 fine under 5.77.090(G); three such citations within eighteen months can lead to revocation, suspension, or non-renewal of the STR registration under 5.77.090(H).

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

Short-Term Rental Parking Rules

STR guests in Long Beach must comply with local parking regulations. Street parking is subject to posted restrictions and the 72-hour rule. Operators should provide parking information to guests.

Key details: Street Parking: Subject to local restrictions. 72-Hour Rule: CVC §22651 applies. Operator Duty: Inform guests of parking rules. Beach Areas: Limited/metered parking.

Parking violations are enforced through standard City parking enforcement. Parking tickets for exceeding the 72-hour limit or violating posted restrictions are $69. Nuisance violations related to parking at STR properties count toward the three-strike system for registration renewal.

Occupancy Limits

Short-term rentals in Long Beach are subject to occupancy limits based on the number of bedrooms and dwelling size. Operators must comply with building and fire code occupancy standards. Overcrowding is a code violation.

Key details: Basis: Bedroom count and dwelling size. Fire Code: Must comply with occupancy limits. Enforcement: Code Enforcement. Overcrowding: Code violation.

Compared to other cities, Long Beach takes a harder line on occupancy limits. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

The Bottom Line

Long Beach 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 Long Beach, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

This guide is based on Long Beach's current municipal code. Local rules can and do change, so check the individual ordinance pages for the latest details, penalties, and FAQs.