San Diego County, CA Short-Term Rentals: Insurance Requirements (2026)

STR-licensing jurisdictions often require operators to carry liability insurance (commonly $500,000 or $1 million) as a permit condition. Unincorporated San Diego County imposes no such requirement because it has not adopted a short-term rental ordinance, and the County's Transient Occupancy Tax rules do not mention insurance. As a result, there is no County-mandated minimum coverage amount for unincorporated STRs. Operators should nonetheless treat insurance as essential: standard homeowner policies frequently exclude or limit coverage for commercial short-term rental activity, so hosts typically need a landlord, short-term rental, or commercial liability policy. Hosting platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo provide their own host liability or protection programs, but these are platform terms, not County requirements, and may not cover all scenarios. Because no County ordinance sets an insurance figure, any claim of a specific required coverage amount for unincorporated San Diego County STRs would be unsupported. Operators in homeowners-association communities or with mortgages may face private insurance requirements separate from County law. Confirming adequate liability and property coverage with a licensed insurer is the operator's responsibility.