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

There is no Martinez Municipal Code section that requires a short-term rental host to carry liability insurance, name the city as additional insured, or file a certificate of insurance. The city has not adopted a stand-alone STR ordinance, and the existing bed-and-breakfast / lodging framework cross-referenced in MMC Section 22.04.051 sets insurance requirements (if any) only through case-specific conditions of approval, not as a city-wide rule. California state law does not impose a uniform STR insurance requirement: AB 2873 (2022) addresses the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee and supplier diversity in affordable-housing financing and does not regulate short-term rental insurance, and there is no other state statute setting a minimum liability amount for STR hosts. Insurance minimums seen in the broader California market are local: cities like Los Angeles and Chula Vista require $1,000,000 in liability coverage for permitted home-sharing or STR operators, while jurisdictions such as Palm Springs and Laguna Beach require $500,000 - none of these apply in Martinez. Practically, hosts should assume that a standard homeowner's HO-3 policy treats paid short-term lodging as a business use and will exclude or limit claims arising from a paying guest. Most STR hosts therefore obtain a dedicated short-term rental policy or a commercial landlord/business policy with $1 million per-occurrence liability, plus coverage for guest property damage. Platforms such as Airbnb's AirCover (host damage protection up to $3 million and liability insurance up to $1 million) and Vrbo's liability program can supplement but are generally not a substitute for a host's own primary policy. Hosts who also hold a Martinez business tax certificate or any future city STR registration should confirm coverage with their insurer at issuance and at each renewal.