Pasadena, CA Short-Term Rentals: Night Caps (2026)
Key Facts
- Un-hosted cap
- 90 days per calendar year
- Hosted stays
- No annual day limit
- Governing section
- PMC Section 17.50.296(F)(4)
- Recordkeeping
- 3 years of stay-length records required
- Verification
- Records submitted at each annual renewal
Summary
Un-hosted short-term rentals in Pasadena, where the host is off-site for the whole stay, are capped at 90 days per calendar year under Section 17.50.296(F)(4). Hosted stays, where the host remains on the property, carry no annual day limit at all.
F.4.Un-hosted stays shall be limited to a maximum of 90 days per year. There shall be no limit for hosted stays. ... G.2.The host shall keep and preserve, for a period of three years, all records as may be necessary to determine the amount of such tax as he/she may have been liable for the collection of and payment to the city, including the number and length of each short-term rental stay, and the price paid for each stay. The planning and community development department and/or the finance department shall have the right to inspect these records at all reasonable times. Hosts shall provide a copy of the records from the last year to the planning and community development department at the time of renewing the short-term rental permit.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 79 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
296(F)(4) draws a hard line between the two types of short-term rental activity the ordinance defines: 'Un-hosted stays shall be limited to a maximum of 90 days per year. 296(B)(6); once a host's cumulative un-hosted nights hit 90 within a calendar year, no further un-hosted bookings are allowed until the following year, though the host may continue to rent on a hosted basis with no cap. 296(G)(2): every host must keep three years of records showing the number and length of each short-term rental stay and the price paid, made available for inspection by the planning and community development department and the finance department at any reasonable time.
296(E)(3), giving the city a direct audit trail to confirm the 90-day un-hosted limit was not exceeded during the prior permit year. The 90-day threshold resets every calendar year, so a host who reaches the limit in October can resume un-hosted bookings on January 1, and days used under a hosted arrangement never count toward the un-hosted total.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the 90-day un-hosted cap, or falsifying the stay records used to verify it, is a violation of Section 17.50.296 enforceable under Chapters 1.24 and 1.25; three violations at the same address trigger automatic suspension of the permit, and the city manager can revoke it after a hearing, barring the host from a new permit for at least one year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many nights a year can I rent my Pasadena home without being there?
Does the 90-day limit apply if I'm home during the rental?
How does Pasadena verify a host hasn't exceeded the un-hosted rental cap?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasadena
California rules heatmap·Compare Pasadena to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview
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Night Caps in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle night caps.