Ventura, CA Short-Term Rentals: Host Platform Liability (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- SBMC § 6.455.140(D)
- Who must comply
- Owner or hosting platform
- ID required
- Name, address, license or passport
- Minimum occupant age
- 18, per subsection C
- Acknowledgment required in
- Booking agreement, when applicable
Summary
Before a guest ever checks in, the owner or the hosting platform handling the booking must collect that guest's name, address and a driver's license number or passport copy under San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section 6.455.140(D). The same guest must sign a written acknowledgment accepting legal responsibility for the conduct of everyone in the unit.
D. Prior to occupancy, the owner (or hosting platform) shall obtain the name, address, and driver's license number or a copy of the passport of the primary adult occupant of the short-term vacation rental or homestay. The owner shall require that adult to sign a formal acknowledgment that they are legally responsible for compliance of all occupants of the short-term vacation rental or homestay and their guests with all provisions of this chapter. When applicable, the owner shall include in all booking agreements the statement that the primary adult acknowledges that they are legally responsible for compliance of all occupants of the short-term vacation rental or homestay and their guests with all provisions of this chapter.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-008, passed May 12, 2026).
Full Breakdown
140 sets the operational standards every short-term vacation rental and homestay owner in the City of Ventura must follow, and subsection D puts an identity-verification duty directly on whoever handles the booking, the owner or the hosting platform itself. Prior to occupancy, that party must obtain the primary adult occupant's name, address, and either a driver's license number or a copy of a passport. 455. Where a booking is arranged online, the owner is required to fold that same acknowledgment language into the booking agreement itself, so the platform's own confirmation screen becomes the vehicle for the legal notice.
100, which requires a nuisance response plan naming up to three people responsible for handling complaints around the clock. 190. The permit administrator can also add operating standards beyond subsection D when needed to meet the chapter's objectives, per subsection L, and can inspect records documenting compliance during normal business hours under subsection M.
Violations & Fines
Skipping the ID-and-acknowledgment step under Section 6.455.140(D) is a chapter violation under Section 6.455.170, exposing the owner to an administrative citation issued under Chapter 1.50 pursuant to Section 6.455.210. Because it is an operational standard, a documented failure counts toward the two-strikes-in-12-months suspension and three-strikes revocation thresholds in Section 6.455.190(A), and the city attorney may also pursue public nuisance abatement under Section 6.455.220.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has to collect a Ventura short-term rental guest's ID, the owner or the platform?
What does the guest have to sign for a Ventura STR stay?
What happens if a Ventura host skips the ID and acknowledgment step?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ventura
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