National City, CA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Parking Rules (2026)

Chapter 6.30 of the National City Municipal Code, adopted by Ordinance No. 2025-2544 on 9-2-2025, sets the parking standard for every short-term rental in National City, California. Section 6.30.080, subsection E, ties the vehicle count to the permit itself. The responsible person, meaning the owner and any agent listed on the permit application, must limit the number of vehicles at the rental to the number of parking spaces designated in the Short-Term Rental permit. Every on-site space designated for occupant use must be made available for occupant vehicles, so a space cannot be listed on the application and then used for something else.

The application drives the number. Under Section 6.30.070.A.5, the permit application asks for the number of existing on-site parking spaces designated for the exclusive use of the Short-Term Rental. That figure then follows the host through the paperwork. Subsections V and W of Section 6.30.080 require one display inside the main entry door and another on a front window, and both must state the maximum number of vehicles. Subsection R requires every advertisement, including listings on hosting platforms, to show the permit number, the maximum number of occupants and the maximum number of vehicles permitted to be parked at the rental. Subsection G requires the rental agreement to state the parking capacity before renters arrive, and subsection Y requires a good neighbor handout that covers parking restrictions.

Street and neighborhood rules sit on top of the count. Occupants must avoid street parking, and vehicles cannot impede access to sidewalks or to adjoining neighboring properties or driveways. Parking in designated fire lanes is prohibited. Motor vehicles, trailers and recreational vehicles must also comply with Section 7.20.140, which makes it unlawful to park, repair or store a vehicle on any unpaved portion of public or private property and, except in paved areas or driveways specifically designed for parking, to park any vehicle, including a recreational vehicle or boat trailer, within the front yard or exterior side yard setbacks of private residential property or on the parkway or landscape area of the public right-of-way. The city council listed illegal parking in Section 6.30.010 as one of the neighborhood nuisances the chapter exists to prevent.