San Diego's STR Ordinance (effective 2023) caps Tier 3 whole-home rentals at 1 percent of housing stock and requires the licensee's primary residence under SDMC §510.0102, while Tier 4 Mission Beach allows non-primary at 30 percent cap.
SDMC §§510.0101-510.0114 (effective May 2023) creates four STR license tiers. Tier 1 covers part-time short-term home sharing under 20 days/year. Tier 2 covers home sharing where the host lives onsite. Tier 3 covers whole-home rentals over 20 days/year and is capped citywide at approximately 1 percent of total housing units (~5,400 licenses), allocated by lottery, and requires the licensee's primary residence with proof from voter registration, utility bills, and tax filings. Tier 4 (Mission Beach only) allows non-primary-residence whole-home STRs up to 30 percent of housing units. Annual fees range $100-$1,000 by tier. Violations can revoke the license.
Operating without an STR license, or running Tier 3 from a non-primary residence, draws STR Compliance Section enforcement with administrative fines up to $1,000 per day, license revocation, and platform delisting. Three substantiated violations within 24 months revoke the license.
See how San Diego's host presence rule rules stack up against other locations.
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