Alameda, CA Short-Term Rentals: Insurance Requirements (2026)

The City of Alameda does not currently require a short-term rental host to carry liability insurance or to name the City as additional insured, because it has not adopted an STR ordinance that would impose coverage minimums. Many cities with mature STR ordinances require a host to maintain commercial liability insurance (commonly $1 million) or to rely on platform-provided coverage that meets a stated minimum; Alameda has no such codified requirement as of the 2026 information available. As a result, the practical protections for an Alameda STR are: (1) any host-protection or host-liability coverage automatically provided by the booking platform (for example, Airbnb's AirCover/Host Liability Insurance), and (2) the host's own homeowner's, landlord, or short-term-rental insurance policy. Hosts should be aware that standard homeowner's policies often exclude commercial/short-term-rental activity, so separate coverage is commonly advisable even though the City does not mandate it. Insurance was not highlighted as a central element of the Planning Board's February 2025 workshop discussion, which focused more on hosted-versus-unhosted structure and platform regulation; a future ordinance could still add an insurance requirement. Because this is the incorporated City of Alameda, any insurance provisions in the unincorporated County's rules do not apply inside city limits. Hosts should confirm current requirements with the City and with their insurer before relying on the absence of a mandate.