National City, CA Short-Term Rentals: Host Presence Rule (2026)

Section 6.30.020 of the National City Municipal Code defines both terms. A "Hosted unit" is a Short-Term Rental where the owner remains and resides onsite, or on a property immediately adjacent to the rental property, during the Short-Term Rental period, except during daytime and/or working hours. A "Non-Hosted Unit" is one where the Owner does not remain or reside on-site or on an adjacent property during the rental period. The "Owner" is the owner of record named in the property deed, so a tenant or a manager cannot count as the host.

The host label is declared up front. Under 6.30.070.A.6, the city-approved permit application must state whether the Short-Term Rental is a "Hosted Unit" or a "non-Hosted Unit." That answer then controls the operating limits in 6.30.080. Under subsection S, hosted units can be used as a Short-Term Rental for an unlimited number of days during the calendar year. Under subsection T, Non-Hosted Units are held to no more than ninety days per calendar year. Under subsection U, Non-Hosted Units need a minimum night stay of two consecutive nights, and that minimum does not apply to Hosted Units or to Short-Term Rentals in multi-family residential dwellings.

Presence is separate from the requirement for a local contact. The chapter defines a Local Contact Person as someone available twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week, able to physically respond within one hour of a complaint. The owner or an agent can fill that role, so an owner who lives elsewhere still has to name someone who can be at the door within an hour.

The city cap applies to both types. Under 6.30.030, a maximum of one hundred eighty Short-Term Rental units is permitted in the city, with no more than forty-five in each designated City Council District.