Short-Term Rentals in Mountain View, CA

Every city handles short-term rentals a little differently. In Mountain View, California, there are 8 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Short-Term Rental Parking Rules

Short-term rental guests in Mountain View must follow the same residential parking rules as any resident, including no overnight RV parking, permit zones, and street sweeping restrictions.

Key details: Street parking limit: 72 hours continuous. Permit zones: Check neighborhood. RV overnight: Restricted. Street sweeping: Posted hours. Host duty: Inform guests of rules.

Host Presence Rule

A Mountain View short-term rental only counts as 'hosted', and escapes the 60-day annual cap, if the host physically remains in the dwelling unit for the entirety of the renter's stay under City Code Sec. 44.2.e. Renting out an entire dwelling unit can never be classified as hosted, no matter how often the owner visits.

Key details: Hosted definition: Host present throughout stay, Sec. 44.2.e. Whole-unit rentals: Can never be 'hosted'. ADU exception: Hosted if owner/tenant on property. Consequence of hosted status: No annual day cap, Sec. 44.4.b.1. Consequence of unhosted status: 60-day/year cap, Sec. 44.4.b.2.

Advertising or operating a whole-unit rental as 'hosted' to avoid the 60-day cap misapplies Sec. 44.2.e's definition and violates the operating standards of Sec. 44.4, exposing the host to an administrative citation, compliance order, or denial/revocation of the registration under Sec. 44.6 and Sec. 44.12.a for misrepresentation. A revoked or denied registration in the prior 12 months blocks re-registration of the property for another 12 months under Sec. 44.6.

Night Caps

An unhosted short-term rental in Mountain View cannot operate more than 60 days per calendar year under City Code Sec. 44.4.b.2. Hosted rentals, where the owner or tenant remains on site, face no such cap, making host presence the deciding factor in how many nights a unit can be rented.

Key details: Unhosted annual cap: 60 days/calendar year, Sec. 44.4.b.2. Hosted rentals: No annual cap, Sec. 44.4.b.1. Max single stay: 30 consecutive days, Sec. 44.2.f. Records retention: 3 years, Sec. 44.13. Renewal deadline: December 15 annually, Sec. 44.8.

Exceeding the 60-day unhosted cap, or falsely claiming hosted status to bypass it, violates Chapter 44 under Sec. 44.3 and Sec. 44.4. The city can issue an administrative citation or compliance order, and a registration found to involve fraud, misrepresentation or a false statement in the application or operation of the rental may be revoked under Sec. 44.12.a. Any property with an active citation, compliance order, or a denied/revoked registration within the preceding 12 months will have a new registration application denied under Sec. 44.6.

Mountain View lets a resident host rent part of their home for an unlimited number of days per year, so long as the host stays on site throughout each stay, under City Code Sec. 44.4.b.1. Accessory dwelling units count as hosted whenever the owner or tenant remains on the property.

Key details: Hosted annual limit: Unlimited days, Sec. 44.4.b.1. ADU treatment: Hosted if owner/tenant present. Registration: Required before advertising, Sec. 44.5. Local contact: 24/7, 60-minute on-site response. TOT owed: Since January 1, 2019, Sec. 44.11.

Operating a hosted short-term rental without registration or a business license, or misclassifying an unhosted rental as hosted to avoid the 60-day cap, violates Chapter 44 under Sec. 44.3 and can result in denial or revocation of the registration for fraud or misrepresentation under Sec. 44.12.a. A property with an active citation or a revoked registration in the prior 12 months will have any new registration denied under Sec. 44.6.

Repeat Violator Strikes

A Mountain View short-term rental property gets locked out of registration for 12 months after an active citation, compliance order, or a denied or revoked application, under City Code Sec. 44.6. Fraud or misrepresentation in the application or operation separately supports outright revocation under Sec. 44.12.a.

Key details: Look-back period: 12 months, Sec. 44.6. Triggers: Active citation, compliance order, denial, revocation. Revocation for fraud: Sec. 44.12.a. Revocation for any code violation: Sec. 44.12.b. Applies to: The property, not just the host.

A property under an active citation or compliance order, or one whose registration was denied or revoked in the prior 12 months, cannot register a new short-term rental under Sec. 44.6. Fraud, misrepresentation or a false statement in the application or operation of the rental triggers revocation under Sec. 44.12.a, and any violation of the chapter, the city code, or state or federal law supports revocation under Sec. 44.12.b, restarting the 12-month denial clock for the property.

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

Noise Rules

Mountain View bans weddings, corporate events, commercial functions, large parties and similar gatherings at any short-term rental property under City Code Sec. 44.4.f. The rule targets events with the potential to cause traffic, parking, noise or other neighborhood impacts, not routine overnight stays.

Key details: Banned events: Weddings, corporate events, large parties. Trigger: Potential traffic, parking or noise impact. Local contact requirement: 24/7, 60-minute response, Sec. 44.4.c. Applies to: Both hosted and unhosted rentals. Enforcement path: Citation, compliance order, Sec. 44.6.

Hosting a wedding, corporate event, commercial function, large party or similar gathering at a short-term rental violates Sec. 44.4.f and Sec. 44.3. The city can respond with an administrative citation or compliance order, and a property under an active citation or compliance order will have any short-term rental registration denied for 12 months under Sec. 44.6. A pattern of such violations supports revocation of an existing registration under Sec. 44.12.b, which allows revocation for any violation of the chapter, the city code, or state or federal law.

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

Short-Term Rental Permits

Every Mountain View short-term rental host must register the dwelling unit and hold a city business license before advertising, under City Code Sec. 44.5. The application needs host contact information, the property address, anticipated rental frequency, a local contact person, and a city-set registration fee.

Key details: Registration required before: Advertising or use, Sec. 44.5.a. Original deadline: July 1, 2019 for existing hosts. Business license: Required per Chapter 18. Fee: Set by council resolution, Sec. 44.5.c. Renewal deadline: December 15 annually, Sec. 44.8.

Operating or advertising a short-term rental without completing registration, without a valid business license, or without paying the registration fee violates Sec. 44.5 and the general prohibition in Sec. 44.3, and the application itself will be denied for incomplete information or unpaid fees. A property with an active citation, compliance order, or a registration denial/revocation in the prior 12 months cannot obtain a new registration under Sec. 44.6, and fraud or misrepresentation in the application supports revocation under Sec. 44.12.a.

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

Taxes & Fees

Mountain View requires every short-term rental host to collect and remit the city's Transient Occupancy Tax under Chapter 33, with STR TOT liability running from January 1, 2019. A hosting platform can only pay it directly for the host if the city has a voluntary collection agreement in place.

Key details: Governing chapter: City Code Chapter 33 (TOT), applied via Sec. 44.11. Who collects: The host, unless a platform has a city agreement. STR tax start date: January 1, 2019. Renewal condition: Proof of TOT remittance required (Sec. 44.8). Recordkeeping: 3 years of TOT compliance records (Sec. 44.13).

Nonpayment of TOT is grounds for registration revocation under Section 44.12 and blocks annual renewal under Section 44.8, which conditions renewal on 'remittance of all required transient occupancy tax.' Hosts must retain TOT compliance records for three years and produce them to the city on request under Section 44.13; failure to do so during an audit exposes the host to further enforcement.

The Bottom Line

Mountain View is tougher than many cities when it comes to short-term rentals. Out of the 8 rules covered here, 3 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Mountain View, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

All of the above reflects Mountain View's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.