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🏠 Short-Term Rentals/Night Caps

Night Caps: Altadena vs Carson

How do night caps rules compare between Altadena, CA and Carson, CA?

Carson has fewer restrictions than Altadena.

Altadena, CA

Los Angeles County

Heavy Restrictions

Un-hosted short-term rentals in Altadena are capped at 90 nights per calendar year. Hosted stays (host on-site) have no annual cap, but every stay is limited to 30 consecutive days or less.

View full Altadena rules →

Carson, CA

Los Angeles County

Few Restrictions

Carson does not cap the number of nights per year that a dwelling may be used as a short-term rental. No STR-specific ordinance exists in the Carson Municipal Code (eCode360 CA4377, current through January 6, 2026), so neither a hosted-stays cap nor an unhosted-stays cap applies. California state law similarly imposes no statewide night cap.

View full Carson rules →

Key Facts Comparison

FactAltadenaCarson
Code SectionLA County 7.96.060.J-
Un-Hosted Cap90 nights/year-
Hosted CapNo annual cap-
Max Single Stay30 consecutive days-
Min Un-Hosted Stay2 nights-
Annual night cap-None in Carson
Hosted-stays cap-None
Unhosted-stays cap-None
Stay-length threshold-30 days or fewer = transient (Cal. Rev. & Tax. Code §7280)
31+ day stay-Becomes residential tenancy (Cal. Civ. Code §1940 et seq.)

Highlighted rows indicate differences between cities.

Altadena FAQ

How many nights can I Airbnb my whole house in Altadena?

90 nights per calendar year if the host is not present (un-hosted), per LA County Code 7.96.060.J. There is no annual cap for hosted stays.

Is there a minimum stay?

Yes — 1 night minimum for hosted stays, 2 nights for un-hosted (7.96.060.H and .I).

Carson FAQ

Is there a 120-night cap in Carson like Los Angeles?

No. The 120-night LA Home-Sharing Ordinance applies only inside the City of Los Angeles. Carson, although in LA County, is an independent city and has no annual cap.

What happens if a guest stays 31+ days?

The stay converts to a residential tenancy under Cal. Civ. Code §1940 et seq., with full tenant protections (including just-cause if AB 1482 thresholds are met).

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