Alhambra, CA Hotels & Lodging: Transient Occupancy Tax (2026)
Key Facts
- Tax rate
- 12% of rent charged
- Transient defined as
- occupancy of 21 days or less
- Registration deadline
- 30 days after starting business
- Remittance due
- last day of month after each quarter
- First late penalty
- 10% of tax due
- Interest on unpaid tax
- 1% per month
Summary
Alhambra charges a 12% transient occupancy tax on rent paid by anyone staying 21 days or less in a hotel or motel. Operators collect it at payment and remit it to the Director of Finance under Municipal Code Chapter 5.70.
For the privilege of occupancy in any hotel or motel, each transient is subject to and shall pay a tax in the amount of 12% of the rent charged by the operator. The tax constitutes a debt owed by the transient to the city which is extinguished only by payment to the operator or to the city. The transient shall pay the tax to the operator of the hotel at the time the rent is paid.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-25: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 4851, passed 10-27-25).
Full Breakdown
70 of the Alhambra Municipal Code imposes the tax on every transient's occupancy of a hotel or motel room. 020 sets the rate at 12% of the rent charged, and the tax is a debt the transient owes the city, extinguished only by payment to the operator or the city directly. If rent is paid in installments, the tax is paid proportionally with each installment, and any unpaid balance comes due when the transient stops occupying the room. 010 as anyone occupying a room for 21 consecutive calendar days or less, unless there is a written agreement for a longer stay, which pulls short-term hotel and motel stays squarely into the tax even without a separate short-term rental permit.
050). 040 bars an operator from advertising or telling guests that the tax will be absorbed or not added to the rent. 060). 030 for occupancies beyond the city's taxing power and for foreign-government or federal/state officers on official business, but an exemption must be claimed in writing under penalty of perjury when rent is collected.
Violations & Fines
Late remittance draws a 10% penalty under Section 5.70.070, plus a second 10% penalty if still delinquent 30 days later, and a 25% fraud penalty if the Director of Finance finds the nonpayment was fraudulent; unpaid tax also accrues interest at 1% per month. Section 5.70.130 makes it an infraction, punishable as provided in Section 1.12.011, for an operator to violate the chapter, fail or refuse to register, fail to file a required return, or file a false or fraudulent return or claim. An operator may appeal a Director of Finance assessment under Section 5.70.090 by following the appeal procedure in Section 5.82.050.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Alhambra's hotel tax rate?
Does the tax apply to short stays booked through a rental platform?
What happens if an operator remits the tax late?
Can an operator refuse to register with the city?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alhambra
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Transient Occupancy Tax in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle transient occupancy tax.