Palm Desert, CA Short-Term Rentals: Noise Rules (2026)

Palm Desert Municipal Code § 5.10.100 lists what a host or operator must do before a guest occupies a short-term rental unit. Item K requires written notice that no radio receiver, musical instrument, phonograph, compact disk player, loudspeaker, karaoke machine, sound amplifier, or any machine, device or equipment that produces or reproduces any sound can be used outside or be audible from beyond the property boundaries between the hours of ten p.m. and ten a.m. Items I and J require giving the responsible person a copy of Chapter 9.24, Noise Control, and Chapter 9.25, Multiple Responses to Loud or Unruly Parties, Gatherings or Other Similar Events, and explaining that the guests and owner can be cited or fined.

The operating rules in § 5.10.090 add the response duty. Whenever there is notice that the responsible person or a guest has created unreasonable noise or disturbances, engaged in disorderly conduct, or violated an applicable rule, the host or operator must respond within thirty minutes in an appropriate manner to halt or prevent a recurrence. The host or operator must be reachable twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Section 5.10.090.D requires reasonably prudent business practices to keep guests from violating Chapter 9.24, and § 5.10.090.E says guests must comply with the municipal code, including and especially Chapters 9.24 and 9.25.

The responsible person is a guest at least twenty-five years of age who is legally responsible for all guests and their daytime guests, and the host must keep the signed acknowledgement for three years. Every advertisement must identify the maximum overnight occupancy, the requirements for compliance with the city's noise standards and regulations, and a statement that guests must respect the neighbors' privacy and enjoyment of their property.

Section 5.10.120.G declares any violation of Chapter 5.10 a public nuisance subject to Chapters 9.24 and 9.25.