Santa Monica does not impose an annual night cap on hosted home-sharing, but requires the host to be on-site for every night of every stay. Hosts may not book more than two groups of visitors for any given date. Vacation rentals (unhosted) are completely prohibited regardless of duration.
Unlike Los Angeles (which caps home-sharing at 120 days per year), Santa Monica does not have an annual night cap for registered home-sharing. However, the restrictions are effectively stricter because the host must be physically present on-site throughout every guest stay. Hosts may not rent to more than two groups of visitors for any given date under the administrative regulations. The home must be the host's primary residence — occasional or seasonal use does not qualify. The City's enforcement team actively monitors listing platforms and investigates properties that appear to operate as vacation rentals rather than genuine home-shares. The 2019 Airbnb settlement provides data-sharing mechanisms that help the City verify compliance. Properties found operating as de facto vacation rentals (host not on-site) face the same penalties as illegal vacation rental operations.
Operating without the host on-site converts a home-share into an illegal vacation rental, subject to fines of up to $500 per day per violation. Enforcement is proactive and technology-assisted.
Santa Monica, CA
Santa Monica strictly regulates short-term rentals. A business license and compliance with the city's home-sharing ordinance is required. The city imposes a ...
Santa Monica, CA
Santa Monica has one of the strictest short-term rental laws in the nation. Chapter 6.20 (adopted May 2015) prohibits vacation rentals and allows only hosted...
See how other cities in Los Angeles County handle night caps.
See how Santa Monica's night caps rules stack up against other locations.
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