National City, CA Short-Term Rentals: Night Caps (2026)

Section 6.30.080 of the National City Municipal Code splits the annual cap by whether the owner is present. Subsection S says hosted units may be used as a Short-Term Rental for an unlimited number of days during the calendar year. Subsection T says Non-Hosted Units may be used as a Short-Term Rental for no more than ninety days per calendar year. Subsection U adds a minimum night stay of two consecutive nights for Non-Hosted Units, and says that provision does not apply to Hosted Units or to Short-Term Rentals in multi-family residential dwellings.

Which cap applies turns on the definitions in 6.30.020. A Hosted unit is one where the owner remains and resides onsite, or on a property immediately adjacent, during the rental period, except during daytime and/or working hours. A Non-Hosted Unit is one where the Owner does not. The permit application asks the applicant to declare which type the unit is, under 6.30.070.A.6.

A Short-Term Rental itself is a rental of a legally permitted dwelling unit, or any portion of one, for occupancy of thirty consecutive calendar days or less, counting portions of calendar days as full days. Accessory dwelling units permitted under Chapter 18.30.380, junior accessory dwelling units under Chapter 18.30.390, and recreational vehicles are excluded from the definition.

The day cap sits beside a cap on the number of units. Section 6.30.030 allows a maximum of one hundred eighty Short-Term Rental units in the city, with no more than forty-five located in each designated City Council District. An applicant also cannot hold a permit for more than one Nonprimary Residence Short-Term Rental at any given time under 6.30.040.F, and the permit is valid for one year, renewing with the business license under 6.30.070.E.

The code's stated purposes in 6.30.010 include preventing long-term rental units from being replaced with Short-Term Rentals and protecting affordable housing from conversion.