Sunnyvale, CA Hotels & Lodging: Transient Occupancy Tax (2026)
Key Facts
- Current rate
- 12.5% of rent, effective Jan. 1, 2019
- Applies to
- stays of 30 consecutive days or less
- Administered by
- director of finance (tax administrator)
- Registration
- certificate required within 30 days of opening
- Late penalty
- 10% first, +10% after 30 days, +25% for fraud
- Interest
- 1% per month on unpaid tax
Summary
Sunnyvale charges a 12.5% transient occupancy tax on rent for any hotel, motel, or other structure rented for lodging under 30 consecutive days, a rate unchanged since January 1, 2019 under Chapter 3.16. Operators collect the tax from guests and remit it monthly to the city's director of finance, the tax administrator.
"Hotel" means any structure, or any portion of any structure, which is occupied or intended or designed for occupancy by transients for dwelling, lodging or sleeping purposes, and includes any hotel, inn, tourist home or house, motel, studio hotel, bachelor hotel, lodging house, rooming house, apartment house, dormitory, public or private club, mobile home or house trailer at a fixed location, or other similar structure or portion thereof. ... "Transient" means any individual who exercises occupancy or is entitled to occupancy ... for a period of thirty consecutive calendar days or less ... (c) Commencing January 1, 2014, and continuing thereafter, the amount of the tax shall be ten and one-half percent of the rent charged by the operator. (d) Commencing January 1, 2019, and continuing thereafter, the amount of the tax shall be twelve and one-half percent of the rent charged by the operator.
Full Breakdown
5% commencing January 1, 2019 and continuing thereafter. 030 to include "any structure, or any portion of any structure" designed for transient dwelling, lodging or sleeping, covering everything from an inn or motel to an apartment house or house trailer at a fixed location, or a portion of one, so a room rented short-term through a booking platform falls under the same definition as a traditional hotel room. A "transient" is anyone occupying space for 30 consecutive calendar days or less; once a stay exceeds 30 days, transient status ends for the remainder of the uninterrupted stay.
Operators must register with the director of finance (the tax administrator) within 30 days of starting business and post a transient occupancy registration certificate on the premises. 080; a postmark alone is not treated as timely. 050 cover federal or state officials on official business, foreign-government employees exempt under treaty, and stays already over 30 days; no exemption is granted without a signed claim made at the time rent is collected.
Violations & Fines
Operators who miss a filing owe a 10% penalty under Section 3.16.090(a); a remittance still unpaid 30 days after it first became delinquent draws a second 10% penalty under subsection (b). Nonpayment the tax administrator finds fraudulent adds a 25% penalty on top of both, plus 1% monthly interest on the unpaid tax until paid, unless waived for good cause. An operator disputing an assessment must request a hearing with the tax administrator within 10 business days, then may appeal further to the city manager.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sunnyvale's current transient occupancy tax rate?
Does the tax apply to short-term rentals booked through sites like Airbnb?
How long can a stay last before it stops being 'transient'?
What happens if a hotel operator doesn't remit the tax on time?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sunnyvale
California rules heatmap·Compare Sunnyvale to another location·View the California hotels & lodging overview
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Transient Occupancy Tax in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle transient occupancy tax.