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Short-Term Rentals in Ventura, CA (2026)

11 verified short-term rentals rules for Ventura, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.

Verified from official government sources

Permit Requirements

Ventura requires every owner of a residential dwelling unit used as a short-term vacation rental (rental of 30 consecutive days or less) to secure an STVR permit, a city business license, and a transient occupancy registration certificate before advertising or renting (SBMC §§6.455.020, 4.155.210). New permit issuance is currently PAUSED by City Council action of Dec. 10, 2024, pending Coastal Commission certification of the Local Coastal Plan Amendment to the updated ordinance. Each dwelling unit (e.g., each half of a duplex) requires its own permit. Operators must collect a 10% Transient Occupancy Tax (SBMC §4.115.030) and carry a $1,000,000-per-occurrence STVR liability insurance policy. ADU/primary unit pairings cannot obtain STVR permits — both must be rented for terms longer than 30 days (SBMC §24.430.041).

Short-Term Vacation Rental (STVR) Permit Required — SBMC Ch. 6.455

Heavy Restrictions
Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Noise Rules

STR guests are bound by the citywide noise ordinance at SBMC §10.650.110 et seq. SBMC §6.455.125(G)(7)–(9) requires every Ventura STR lease to flag amplified-sound rules, prohibit illegal loud parties, warn of loud-party cost recovery under §10.650.210, and recommend voluntary quiet hours of 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. If the owner contractually forbids parties in that window, the $1,500 surety bond is waived.

Ventura STR Noise: Quiet Hours 10 p.m.–7 a.m., Loud-Party Cost Recovery & Bond Waiver

Some Restrictions
Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Taxes & Fees

Ventura (officially San Buenaventura) imposes a 10% Transient Occupancy Tax on all STR stays of 30 days or less under SBMC §4.115.030. Every short-term vacation rental operator must hold an STVR permit (SBMC §6.455.040), a Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate, a business tax certificate (SBMC §6.455.050(B)), and post a $1,500 surety bond (SBMC §6.455.050(C)) unless waived under §6.455.125(G)(9).

Ventura STR Taxes & Fees: 10% TOT, Business Tax Cert & $1,500 Surety Bond

Some Restrictions
Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Parking Rules

Ventura's STR ordinance does not impose a fixed minimum number of off-street parking spaces per bedroom or per occupant. Instead SBMC §6.455.060(F) and §6.455.125(G)(2)–(3) require the operator to disclose, in the nuisance response plan and the lease, how many off-street spaces are available and to warn that on-street parking 'is extremely limited in some areas of the city.' Parking is also one of the listed physical factors the permit administrator may consider for any increased-occupancy request (§6.455.100(B)).

Ventura STR Parking: Off-Street Spaces Disclosed, On-Street Warning Required

Few Restrictions
Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Occupancy Limits

SBMC §6.455.125(E) caps overnight occupancy of every short-term vacation rental at two persons within the unit plus two persons per bedroom. A 3-bedroom STR is therefore capped at 8 overnight guests. The permit administrator may approve higher numbers only on a documented showing of unusual size, layout or parking.

Ventura STR Occupancy Cap: 2 Persons + 2 Per Bedroom Overnight

Some Restrictions
Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Insurance Requirements

Ventura's STR program requires $1 million per-occurrence short-term rental liability insurance as a condition of permit issuance, plus a $1,500 surety bond under SBMC §6.455.050(C). The bond pays civil penalties assessed against the permittee or any tenant/guest for code violations and is waivable only if the lease forbids parties between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Ventura STR Insurance: $1M Liability Per Occurrence + $1,500 Surety Bond

Some Restrictions
Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Night Caps

Ventura uses minimum-stay rules instead of an annual night cap. SBMC §6.455.125(D) requires a 7-night minimum stay from the second Friday in June through the last Friday in August. The rest of the year, the minimum stay is 2 nights AND the unit may be rented no more than once in any consecutive 7-day period — effectively one booking per week off-season.

Ventura STR Stay Limits: 7-Night Minimum in Summer, 2-Night Minimum & 1 Booking/Week Off-Season

Heavy Restrictions
Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Registration Rules

An STVR in Ventura must complete three parallel registrations with the Business Tax Office: (1) the STVR permit under SBMC Ch. 6.455 with a sworn nuisance response plan naming a 24/7 contact who can respond on site within 45 minutes; (2) a Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate under SBMC §4.115.030 used to collect and monthly-remit the 10% TOT (minimum $1,000 annual remittance); and (3) a city business license under SBMC §4.155.210. Owner must maintain a surety bond (unless waived) and a $1,000,000 liability insurance policy. All three registrations renew annually and any change to the nuisance response plan must be re-filed with the permit administrator (and triggers a Response Plan Change Fee).

STVR Registration: TOT Certificate, Business License, Nuisance Response Plan — SBMC §§4.115, 4.155, 6.455

Heavy Restrictions
Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Host Presence Rule

Ventura SBMC Chapter 6.455 does not require the host or owner to be on-site or in the same building during a guest stay — both 'whole-home' and owner-present rentals are permitted. What Ventura does require is a designated 24/7 local responsible person identified in the recorded nuisance response plan who must be able to respond to a nuisance complaint within 45 minutes of receipt (SBMC §6.455.150(2)). The owner or designee's name and phone number are mailed to every property within a 300-foot radius and posted on the city's public STVR website. Owner-occupied hosting is allowed but not required; the regulatory burden falls on the response capability, not the host's physical presence during the stay.

No Host-Presence Requirement — But 24/7 Local Contact Must Respond Within 45 Minutes — SBMC §6.455.125, §6.455.150

Some Restrictions
Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Primary-Residence-Only Rule

Ventura's current SBMC Chapter 6.455 does not restrict STVR permits to owner-occupied primary residences — non-resident owners may obtain a permit. However, the city imposes a hard primary-dwelling-plus-ADU restriction: if a property contains an Accessory Dwelling Unit, neither the primary dwelling nor the ADU can be used as an STVR, and both must be rented for terms longer than 30 days (SBMC §24.430.041; consistent with Gov. Code §65852.2 state ADU framework). On Dec. 10, 2024, City Council paused new STVR permit issuance pending Coastal Commission certification of the updated ordinance under the city's Local Coastal Plan Amendment, which is widely expected to introduce tighter owner-occupancy and density caps. Until the LCP amendment takes effect, existing permits continue under the rules described here.

No Primary-Residence Requirement (Currently) — But ADU/Primary Pairings Banned — SBMC Ch. 6.455 + §24.430.041

Some Restrictions
Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Extended Home Share

Any rental of a Ventura dwelling unit for more than 30 consecutive days falls OUTSIDE SBMC Chapter 6.455 entirely (an STVR is defined by §6.455.020 as a rental of 'not more than 30 consecutive days'). Stays of 31+ days are also exempt from the 10% Transient Occupancy Tax under SBMC §4.115.030 (the 'transient' guest definition uses the same 30-day cutoff). However, longer-term rentals are tenancies and become subject to California's statewide rental laws: AB 1482 (Cal. Civ. Code §1947.12) caps annual rent increases at 5% + regional CPI (10% max) and Cal. Civ. Code §1946.2 imposes just-cause eviction protections once a tenant has been in possession 12+ months. No Ventura business license is required for a passive long-term residential landlord beyond standard rental property registration where applicable.

Extended Home-Share / Long-Term Rentals — No Local Permit Required; Stays Over 30 Days Are Tenancies — SBMC §6.455.020 + Cal. Civ. Code §1946.2

Few Restrictions
Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Looking for Ventura County county-wide rules?

County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Ventura city rules.

Short-Term Rentals in Ventura County →