San Francisco, CA Short-Term Rentals: Extended Home Share (2026)
Key Facts
- Threshold
- Stays under 30 days are regulated
- 30+ day stays
- Ordinary tenancy, not short-term
- Governing law
- Admin. Code § 41A.4
- Enforcing agency
- Planning Department
Summary
San Francisco's Short-Term Rental law only covers stays booked for under 30 days; a 30-day-or-longer booking is an ordinary tenancy that skips Chapter 41A's registry, permit, and night-cap rules entirely.
Tourist or Transient Use. Any use of a Residential Unit for occupancy for less than a 30-day term of tenancy, or occupancy for less than 30 days of a Residential Unit leased or owned by a Business Entity, whether on a short-term or long-term basis, including any occupancy by employees or guests of a Business Entity for less than 30 days where payment for the Residential Unit is contracted for or paid by the Business Entity. (Added by Ord. 331-81, App. 6/26/81; amended by Ord. 74-98, App. 3/16/98; Ord. 224-12, File No. 120299, App. 11/1/2012, Eff. 12/1/2012; Ord. 218-14, File No. 140381, App. 10/27/2014, Eff. 11/26/2014, Oper. 2/1/2015; Ord. 130-15, File No. 150363, App. 7/30/2015, Eff. 8/29/2015; Ord. 104-16, File No. 160423, Eff. 7/ 24/2016; Ord. 178-16, File No. 160790, Eff. 9/10/2016)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-96: Codes: last updated to include changes made by legislation through Ordinance 133-26, File No. 260686, approved July 23, 2026, effective August 23, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Administrative Code Section 41A.4 defines the regulated 'Tourist or Transient Use' as occupancy of less than a 30-day term of tenancy. Anything at or beyond 30 days falls outside that definition, so it is treated as a standard residential tenancy rather than a short-term rental. That means a host renting a room or unit for a month or longer does not need a Short-Term Residential Rental Registry number, does not count against the 275-day occupancy requirement, and is not subject to the Chapter's insurance, business-registration, or hosting-platform reporting duties.
Violations & Fines
No Chapter 41A violation applies to a genuine 30-day-plus rental. Splitting one long stay into shorter bookings to evade registration, or misrepresenting the term length, can still trigger the Chapter's unlawful-conversion penalties.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a 30-day rental need an STR registration number in San Francisco?
What's the legal cutoff between a short-term rental and a regular lease in San Francisco?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Francisco
California rules heatmap·Compare San Francisco to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview
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