San Diego County, CA Short-Term Rentals: Host Presence Rule (2026)

bb creates the Host Home as a permitted accessory use in San Diego County's unincorporated area, but only through an Administrative Permit issued by the Director of Planning & Development Services. The permit criteria cap the arrangement at two bedrooms available for rent (clause a), and clause b) is the operative presence rule: the owner or lessee of the property must operate the facility and reside in the home or other legal residence on the property. The code allows the operator to live in a separate residence on the same parcel rather than the exact rental unit, but only if emergency contact instructions for reaching the owner or lessee after hours are posted in every rented room.

Compliance is not just a permit condition on paper: under item 2, the owner must file a signed affidavit with the Director agreeing to criteria a) through g), consenting to inspection of the premises by the Code Enforcement Officer, and promising to furnish a new affidavit whenever the Enforcement Officer requests one. Notice of the application goes out under Section 7060(c) before the Director acts. Under item 4, the Director may only grant the permit after finding the Host Home will not adversely affect or be materially detrimental to existing neighborhood character, weighing traffic generation and site suitability, so an absentee operator who cannot show a bona fide residence on the property risks an outright denial rather than just a cured condition. bb.